


Torn Loyalties

by shadesalogel



Series: Med-jai Chronicles [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mummy (1999)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Don't copy to another site, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 115,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadesalogel/pseuds/shadesalogel
Summary: Due to an unintended spell, Rick and Ardeth end up in the Jedi Temple in Coruscant shortly before the events of Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.
Series: Med-jai Chronicles [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489700
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize do not belong to the authors. Some of the ideas were inspired by Xanthia Morgan’s wonderful fic, Brother of My Soul. Don't copy to another site!

It was a normal session for the Jedi Council. There was a great deal of arguing and bickering going on between various members. Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace all noticeably kept themselves aloof from it. Anakin tried to imitate them, wanting to appear mature, but it was difficult to keep out of the discussions.

Business was nearly finished for the day when there was a large roiling of the Force. Moments later, two boys dressed in matching black robes appeared in the middle of the room. “-don’t say that!” The black haired boy was saying but paused when he realized he was in a different place entirely. “Oh, no. Father is going to kill us.”

"Well, we're not in the SGC," Rick said slowly, though he wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He looked around cautiously, not too thrilled with the fact that they were surrounded by a strange group of adults, all of whose eyes were boring into the two of them. Rick nearly jumped when he saw Ki Adi Mundi. The only reason he hadn't drawn his pistols yet was because they didn't appear to be armed. 'What exactly do you suppose they are?' Rick asked Ardeth with no small amount of trepidation.

'I have no idea. That spell is an experimental one—It never got past the first stage of testing, and it was written over 3,000 years ago. We could be anywhere, and they could be anything.' Ardeth told him, hand resting on the hilt of his scimitar.

Rick cast an apologetic look over his shoulder at his brother. 'Did there happen to be an experiment to get us back?' he asked tentatively. But another voice broke the silence.

"They do not appear to be Sith," Adi Galia said, examining the boys and trying to discern their intentions through the Force.

'Oh, excellent, they speak a language we know,' Ardeth murmured and put his back to Rick's. “Please pardon the intrusion. We were experimenting and discovered a new means of transportation. Could you please tell us where we have arrived?"

The members of the Council exchanged a few glances. "You are in the Council Room of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant," Obi-Wan explained in a warm welcoming tone. "Who are you?"

"I am Ardeth Bey, and this is my brother, Rick O'Connell. Do you know the way back to the planet Earth?" the young prince asked, relaxing as none of the people in the room moved to attack them.

Obi-Wan glanced at Yoda. He had never heard of this planet but felt that certainly the older Jedi Master would have such knowledge. He was surprised to see him shake his head. "Know of no such planet do we. By any other name perhaps might your world be called?"

Ardeth glanced at Rick. 'What did the people from SGC call Earth? Tauros?'

Rick shrugged. ‘They called the humans of Earth the Tauri. I'm not sure if they had a specific name for the planet itself.’

But the Jedi Masters all shook their heads, indicating that they didn't know this world. "Perhaps we could consult with Jocasta Nu in the archives," Obi-Wan suggested. "If we have any record of this world, she should more than likely have it." He said “more than likely”, because she had been wrong before and resented it greatly when an error was pointed out.

“We would appreciate that. I will work to try to reverse the transport spell, but it will take some time—I haven’t learned how to craft my own spells yet.” Ardeth ran his hand through his hair, wondering how they managed to get into these messes.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard slightly, wondering what kind of spells the boy might mean and if it was similar to using the Force. He looked over at Yoda. Even at the best of times, it was hard to tell what the Jedi Master was thinking, but he had a feeling by the way he watched the two strangers in front of him that he was thinking along the same lines.

Anakin, still irritable from the arguments that had taken place before the boys had arrived, spoke. "It might have been better to master the spell before trying it out," he said pointedly, regretting what he had said the instant it had left his mouth.

Everyone turned to look at him. The Council members looking very displeased. Yoda banged his gimer stick several times before there were any comments from the rest of the Council. "See you will, young Knight Skywalker, to the comfort of our guests. Now, go! Meditate on this, I must."

Anakin looked as if he were not pleased with this assignment, but still bowed respectfully. "Yes, Master Yoda." He knew to object would just draw disapproving glares and reinforce their misgivings that he was not ready for a seat on this council.

Rick watched him carefully. He wasn't too thrilled either that they were placed in the man's care. From what he could tell, he was the youngest person in the room except them. At least, he was willing to guess so considering that he didn't know what half the beings in the chamber were, let alone how old they might be. 'I've got a bad feeling about this,' he murmured to Ardeth through their bond.

'We will see what happens, but keep on guard. How are your magic levels? Did the spell drain you a lot?' Ardeth asked, watching as their guide stood and bowed shortly to the rest of the people in the room. The prince inclined his head respectfully before following their guide out of the room.

'A little bit, but I'll do alright,' Rick assured him. Without a word, Anakin began to lead them slowly down the halls of the Jedi Temple. O'Connell kept looking around in wonder. He had never in his life seen a building like this. It was beautiful in both its elegance and its simplicity. And the advanced technology that seemed to be commonplace to the Jedi blew his mind. Even the devices at the SGC didn't compare to what they saw in this place. "This is incredible," he breathed in awe.

That caught Anakin's attention, and he slowed a little, calming. "It is, isn't it? The Jedi Temple is one of the most advanced buildings in the Republic. What sort of planet are you from?"

Rick shrugged not sure how to describe it. "I guess that depends where you are on our world. We don't have technology that's anything like this." His steps faltered somewhat as they passed a wall of transparisteel that looked out on Coruscant. He hadn't really paid attention to the cityscape when he had been in the Council chamber, a little more concerned at the time with the beings inside. "And where we come from, there's not any city that's this big. Not even Cairo."

"This planet, Coruscant, is one big city. The planet I'm from is all desert, and it has two suns." Anakin told them, glancing out at the sight that had captured the boys' attention.

"We live in one of the desert parts of our world. The Sahara." Ardeth told him, watching the air traffic with wide eyes.

Anakin looked at the boys in surprise. He remembered how shocking it was to see Coruscant for the first time when Qui Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi had brought him here years ago to train to become a Jedi. The fast-paced life of the city, the massive throngs, the impossibly high skyscrapers had all been overwhelming. He sighed, deciding to try and be a bit more understanding of their situation.

"So," Rick said still transfixed by the sight, "how long did it take you to get used to not being in the desert anymore?"

"Quite a while. When I get back after a mission, it still sometimes amazes me." Anakin shook his head, wondering if he had been as wide-eyed as these boys when he first arrived. "Come on, let's find you some rooms to stay in."

Rick and Ardeth finally managed to tear their gazes away from the sight and fall back in step behind Anakin. Anakin led them to the dormitory wing of the temple. "This is where the Jedi students stay during the earliest stages of their training, before they are taken as apprentice. I'm sure there would be a couple of rooms close together that would be available for your use," Anakin explained.

"If it's alright with you guys, we would like to share a room," Rick requested. Neither of them felt comfortable in this strange environment yet and sharing a room would help.

Anakin glanced at them, then shrugged. "I'll see what I can do," he told them, finding a data terminal and accessing the sleeping arrangements for this quarter.

Rick looked at Ardeth while Anakin was sorting through information. ‘And I thought being at the SGC felt odd.’

'I think we're going to have to learn quickly to manage things here,' Ardeth sighed, and rubbed his face. 'Hopefully this spell effects time as well, so Father won't realize we're gone.'

Rick groaned inwardly. 'Yeah, and we thought our spell use was limited before. I'll never see another magic-user guide again!'

Anakin looked at them out of the corner of his eye. There it was again. It was as if a surge of Force passed from one boy to the other. They were facing each other their eyes engaged as if they were talking to each other somehow, but neither of them were speaking. He would have to ask Obi-Wan later about this and what he thought of the new-comers.

He found a private room with two beds in it that would be perfect for the boys. "Come on, this way," he said, and they turned their attention to him immediately. Both seemed hyperalert to any changes in the area around them.

"Thanks for putting us up for a while," Rick said to Anakin as they followed him to the room.

"You’re welcome." The young Jedi knight hesitated a moment, but knew if he didn't offer to help the strangers, Master Yoda would know. He didn't want his ankles to get whacked again. "If you need anything, just let me know. I've added my comlink number to the database console in the room."

"What's a database look like?" Rick asked, figuring, if he could at least identify it, he could figure out on his own how to use it, or at least he hoped so.

Anakin took a deep breath and released his annoyance into the Force. Striding into the room, he activated the data console on the wall near the door. "To contact me, just hit this button, and speak normally. If I don't pick up right away, that means I’m probably in a meeting. Do you need anything right now?"

“No, we should be okay. Thanks,” Rick replied.

Anakin nodded curtly and walked out the door, which automatically closed behind him. Rick walked over to the datapad, fascinated with the device. The screen upon which its information was displayed glowed from within with a blue light. Rick's eyes glinted like a child's as his hand hovered over the key pad and touch screen, wondering what each button did.

"Have fun, my brother. Try not to blow anything up,” Ardeth said. He began exploring the room, ensuring that there were no surprises. The refresher unit took much experimentation to figure out.

The first button Rick pushed pulled up a file on the history of the Jedi Order. Making a note of which controls pulled up that information, he explored the device a little more, finally pulling up a star map of the known galaxy. "Hey, Ardeth! Come take a look at this!" Rick called, beckoning his brother over.

The younger boy came in and stared in amazement at the chart. "Well, I think we are quite a ways from home."

"Yeah," Rick said as he pulled up one planet after another. He seemed to be trying to concentrate, looking for some sort of information. After thumbing through about fifty planets, the hopeful look on his face was starting to fade. "Come on. He had to have been to at least one of these worlds."

"The creature?" Ardeth rested a hand on Rick's shoulder. "You shouldn't try to bring up his memories, Rick. You could destroy the block Father made, and I'm not skilled enough to reform it."

Rick paused for a second and shook his head. "But I got us into this mess. I was hoping this might be able to get us out again," he said slowly, though he knew Ardeth was right.

"We will find a way back home, Rick. But don't stir up memories of things that are best forgotten. Have you seen paper and writing supplies anywhere?" Ardeth asked, quietly.

"Not really," Rick said as he stepped away from the datapad. As much as he didn't want the memories to resurface, he knew he wouldn't be tempted if he didn't keep staring at the maps. "Mostly everyone that we saw as the guy brought us here were all using one of those datapad things. We could ask if they have some the next time we see someone."

Yawning, the younger boy sat on the edge of one of the beds. "That would be helpful. Once I have the spell written down, I might be able to start taking it apart to figure out how to reverse it. I wonder if they have any spellsmiths here?"

"I'd be willing to bet that they do. They didn't seem surprised when we mentioned it in the Council room," Rick commented as he walked over to a strange table. It seemed to be equipped with tools. Trying one out, the boy accidentally ignited a welding blade and jumped in surprise. Grimacing, he gingerly set it back down and slowly stepped away.

"Mummies' breath, why do they have something like that in here?" Ardeth murmured, studying the tools.

"I don't know," Rick said shaking his head as he tried to get his heart rate to slow. "There are another couple of devices there, but I really don't wanna press my luck."

Rolling his eyes, Ardeth picked up a tool and examined it. "These are fine pliers. It looks like some sort of delicate machine was made here."

Rick looked at the bench again but not touching any of tools. Then, he saw a glimmer on the edge of the bench. Moving closer, he picked up a small crystal. Turning it over in his fingers, he examined it before handing it to his brother. "What do you make of this?"

"I'm not certain. Crystals like this can be used for lots of things with spells—with one this strong and pure, I could put a light spell in it, and it would last for years."

"Neat!" Rick said, looking at it for a second longer. Then as he moved to sit on his bed, he looked at Ardeth. "That spell that I used, does it span time as well as space? 'Cause this sure looks like the future to me."

"I don't know. I will know more when I see the spell—I don't have a clear memory of the words in that one. Were you thinking of anything in particular when you said it?"

Rick thought about it for a second, but then his eyes widened in dread. He instantly banished the look from his face, hoping Ardeth hadn't caught it, even though he knew he had.

Catching Rick's dread through the bond, Ardeth sighed. "What were you thinking about, my brother?"

"At the time that I said that spell, I had been thinking about all the experiences we'd had over the past couple of months and all the bad guys we've faced off with. I had wondered for a split second if there was something worse than goa'uld or creatures we fight," Rick explained wincing, but put his hands up quickly to assuage his brother. "But then I went right back to looking over the tome Dad gave me! I didn't say aloud that there couldn't be anything worse, because I knew what kind of fate that brings us. But I'm not sure that it affected the spell though, because the people here seem okay. A little strange but okay."

Ardeth let himself fall backwards against the bed. "We will see what happens. You, my brother, are a magnet for trouble."

Rick was about to protest but then just nodded, knowing it was true. Rick picked up the crystal again that they had been looking at. “You said this crystal could be used for spell casting?” When Ardeth nodded, Rick looked at it. “If we’re able to figure out the spell and we had enough of these, maybe it could give us enough power over it that we could control where the spell took us?” he suggested.

“I am not certain. I would have to experiment with them and see how effective they are in aiding any bigger spells. As far as I know, crystals have only ever been enchanted to hold minor light, heat, and healing spells.” The boy rolled over onto his stomach and smiled at Rick. “I hope we get to have food soon—I’m hungry!”

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Rick moved over to the datapad, not quite sure how to make the door open. After trying several buttons and failing, he turned to the door in exasperation. "Come in," he called, figuring they knew how the door mechanism worked.

The door slid open, and Obi-Wan and Anakin stood there, looking amused. "Having problems with the door?" Anakin asked, grinning. "You just locked it and unlocked it several times, and nearly activated the defense system against us."

Rick grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Not used to all these strange gadgets."

"You might want to be cautious about what you touch while you are here, then. I grew up with this technology, and it still sometimes gets the best of me," Obi-Wan advised, sliding a hand out of his robe sleeve to rub his beard. He was trying very hard not to laugh.

Rick nodded, his expression evident that that was very good advice that he clearly intended to follow. "What are all these tools for anyways?" he asked, waving his arm at the work bench.

With a slight sigh and a glance at his former apprentice, Obi-Wan approached the table and sighed again. "These supplies are used to make a lightsaber. They are not supposed to be in here, however—my guess would be that an initiate was experimenting with them. I will have a droid come take care of it. Now, if you boys are hungry, the cafeteria is open."

Rick and Ardeth exchanged eager glances and were ready to follow the Jedi immediately. Obi-Wan and Anakin led them down the halls towards the cafeteria. "So what is a light—," Rick was in the process of asking them, but froze as they passed the sparring rooms. He stared on wide-eyed as several children were practicing combat form with swords. But Rick had to shake his head to be sure of what he was seeing. The hilts of these swords were long metal cylinders of various shapes and sizes, but from each of them, a blade of light extended, a beam of pure, focused energy. His jaw dropped as he watched children half his age doing blindfolded the same sort of moves he was currently learning.

Ardeth paused as well. 'My brother, I think this is going to be a very interesting trip.' He said, through the bond. 'I would love to try one of those weapons out!'

'You and me both!' Rick agreed. He wondered if the Jedi would be willing to part with a couple, but somehow, he doubted it. The padawans they watched handled the weapons with the utmost care, like it was the only possession they had.

Obi-Wan, feeling what had passed between the boys, watched them, a curious look on his face. He had felt the same sort of energy pass between them in the Council Chamber.

Anakin felt it too and nudged Obi-Wan. "Any idea what that is, Master?" He asked quietly, watching the boys as they observed the younglings doing saber drills.

Obi-Wan thought for a moment, stroking his beard as he ran through the possible explanations. "It is possible that the two of them are Force sensitive and have learned to some degree how to use their connection. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened," he guessed, pensive.

"Do you think we should have them tested?" Anakin said, watching as Ardeth gestured slightly like he was explaining something.

"It seems prudent," Obi-Wan agreed nodding, "though I doubt anything will come from it, since they are too old. I will speak to Master Yoda about it though." He looked at them carefully, using the Force to probe how deep their connection to it ran.

But though they appeared to be talking about the lightsabers, the boys were actually conversing about the Jedi's conversation. 'Isn't it cute how they think, if they lower their voices, we won't hear them?' Rick asked his brother through the bond amused.

'Yes, it is. I wonder exactly how young they think we are, or if the children here do not pay attention to their elders when they talk.' Ardeth shook his head. 'Well, let's stop their conversation about us—I want food!'

Rick agreed with a sly grin, though, in the back of his mind, he wondered what kind of test the two adults were talking about. He genuinely hoped it didn't involve healers; both he and Ardeth had had enough with healers to last a good long while. Rick and Ardeth both pointedly turned their attention back to the Jedi, who ended their discussion abruptly as they saw the Med-jai were paying attention to them. "Shall we continue?" Obi-Wan offered.

Adopting his most regal stare, Ardeth nodded. "That would be excellent," he said to the man, trying not to smile. It was always fun to pull on the princely mantle and see how people reacted.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at this show of authority from the boy. He instantly began to re-evaluate the two of them. They both looked very young, but now he noticed an air of maturity about them, especially Ardeth. He was careful to examine them only subtly so that they didn't suspect, but as they reached the cafeteria and the boys were getting their food, he saw a look in both their eyes that he had missed before: a weathered look one only garnered from a harsh past with trying experiences. He abandoned the evaluation though as they sat down. He would speak to Yoda about that too.

"Well, it doesn't look as dangerous as the cousin's cooking." Ardeth murmured, poking his fork into the food on his tray.

Rick looked up with a dubious expression. "It doesn't?" he asked, uncertain. He lifted a portion of it to his mouth. "Here goes," he muttered as he popped it in, a guarded look on his face. Slowly, his eyebrows raised, and he nodded. "It's pretty good. Not Gen's cooking, but it's pretty good."

"Oh, good. You know, of our tribe, I think we have tasted the most exotic food. Or at least, we will have by the time we meet up with SG-1 again."

Rick chuckled at that. "Yeah no kidding! Maybe we should introduce these guys to pizza, that is, if they have the ingredients here for pizza.”

The two Jedi seemed to be listening to their conversation with amusement.

"That would be difficult, my brother. We do not know all of the ingredients for pizza, or how it is cooked."

Rick waved his hand dismissively. "Details!"

"Be quiet and eat, my brother." Ardeth told him, rolling his eyes. He turned to their hosts. "What weapons were the children doing their drills with?"

"Those are their lightsabers. It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. We are each required to construct our own as part of our training," Obi-Wan explained.

"That is what the equipment in our room is for?" Ardeth asked, absently running a hand over the hilt of his scimitar.

Anakin nodded. “Yes, it is a very delicate process so the tools must be very exact to build one. Most have to repeat the process a few times to get it right.”

The boy nodded. “That would be interesting to try to accomplish. How many years of training does it take to master such a weapon?”

Obi-Wan cocked his head to one side considering the question. "Well, there are always improvements one can make as it is with any weapon, no matter how far along he is in his training. But usually it takes about fifteen to twenty years for a Force Adept to achieve the rank of Jedi Knight, which I guess one could say marks a degree of mastery.

"And how old are you when you begin your training?" Ardeth asked, barely keeping his face expressionless as he watched a large group of aliens move past their table.

Rick was also watching them pass, though his was a stare of barely concealed curiosity. After a moment, he remembered himself and tried to return to focusing on Obi-Wan as he answered Ardeth's questions.

"I was brought to the Jedi Temple when I was two years old. Most Jedi start their training at or before that age. We try to work with children when they are very young, so that the principles they learn do not conflict with pre-existing worldviews. Anakin is one of the very rare exceptions. My Jedi Master, Qui Gon Jinn, brought him to the Temple when he was nine."

"They barely let me in," Anakin said, though he did understand to some degree the wisdom of this policy.

"They took some convincing," Obi-Wan admitted with a smile.

Ardeth laughed. "See, you're not the only one to start your training late, my brother," he said to Rick.

Rick chuckled and explained when the Jedi looked at him intrigued. "We both just found out a couple of months ago that I am a Med-jai. So I started my training way late."

Obi-Wan seemed curious about the idea of the Med-jai. "What exactly are the Med-jai?"

"On our planet, the Med-jai are the protectors of mankind. We defend the rest of the planet from certain evil places and creatures," Ardeth explained and indicated the tattoos on his face. "My tribal markings indicate that I am Med-jai."

As he listened, Obi-Wan stroked his beard, exchanging a meaningful glance with his former Padawan. "Our robes and our lightsabers likewise mark us as Jedi. Jedi are the defenders of peace and justice throughout the galaxy. Though recently, our mandate has been adapted somewhat to—" he struggled to describe it without using words that left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, "—apply to our current circumstances."

Anakin smiled ruefully. "That's one way of putting it," he said with a strange mixture of amusement and sorrow in his tone.

"Why would your mandate change merely because of circumstances?” The young prince was concerned about this—the Med-jai’s duty had never changed in the thousands of years they had been fulfilling it.

"We're in the middle of a war," Anakin sighed, his voice distant.

"The galaxy is divided," Obi-Wan explained. "And in some ways, so are the Jedi. Many of our Order have gone off to fight for the Separatists. And the violence, despite our best efforts, seems only to escalate. In a civil war, it is difficult to know who to trust. And on top of that, we have to guard against the threat of the Sith."

"What are the Sith?" Ardeth exchanged glances with Rick, wondering if these Sith were anything like the Red Temple Guards.

"The Sith are evil," Obi-Wan said, his eyes sad. "They have the same ability to use the Force as the Jedi do. But while we use it to help and protect others, they use it for personal gain and power. We had thought they were extinct, but they resurfaced about a decade ago," he waved to Skywalker. "That was the same mission when we discovered Anakin and brought him to the temple. The Sith we encountered killed my master before he was destroyed. But his master is still out there, hiding in the shadows, using this war to his advantage."

'They do sound similar to the Temple Guards,' Ardeth murmured to Rick through their bond.

'Great!' Rick groaned in frustration. 'They even have a presence out here! You and I are gonna have to watch our backs! We don't have any reinforcements if we run into the morons out here.'

'This is true. We will watch each other's backs, as we always have. This food is excellent!'

Anakin looked at Obi-Wan, who had noted the exchange, before turning to the boys. "What is that?"

Rick looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?”

"Just now, something passed between you, an energy wave or something. You've been doing that on and off since you got here."

Ardeth's eyes widened. "You are able to sense that? Fascinating—I do not believe anyone has ever been able to sense when a twin bond is in use before."

"’Twin bond’?" Obi-Wan asked.

'Do you want me to tell them, my brother, or would you rather keep the information between our family members?'

Rick thought for a second, examining the Jedi. 'You can go ahead and tell them. I think we can trust them.'

Turning to the Jedi, Ardeth nodded to them. "Rick and I recently discovered that we are soul twins. My soul is the reborn soul of Rick's younger twin brother. Among the Med-jai, anyone who is a twin and a magic-user has a bond that can be used to speak mind-to-mind."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both looked between the two boys, astonishment on their faces despite their Jedi training. After a moment, Obi-Wan spoke. "I think it might be a good idea for us to take you to speak to Master Yoda privately. He is one of the oldest and wisest of our order. If you are willing to tell him what you have told me, this may shed some light on what we might be able to do for you."


	2. Chapter 2

"That would be fine," Ardeth finished his food and sighed softly. "Later, we will need a place for our training."

Obi-Wan nodded. "You may use one of the sparring rooms."

"Could we borrow a couple of those lightsabers?" Rick asked, his face lighting up with the prospect of learning another new weapon.

Obi-Wan resisted rolling his eyes. "We must discuss that with Master Yoda. Come, this way."

Rick and Ardeth followed Obi-Wan to Yoda's chambers. The ceiling was quite low, appropriate for the diminutive Jedi Master, but not as much so for his taller guests. Everyone had to duck their heads to keep from bumping it on the ceiling.

Ardeth knelt, saving his head from being smacked, and tugged Rick down before his brother could hit his head.

Yoda looked at his guests from beneath sleepy lids, a look that he seemed to wear often, Rick noted. "Welcome, Master Kenobi, young Skywalker, Ardeth Bey and Rick O'Connell. Come you have to speak of our young visitors?"

"Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said, automatically kneeling before Yoda could reach for his gimer stick. "The boys have told us that they share a bond which they can use to speak to each other."

Yoda hummed thoughtfully. "A bond, you say, hmm?" He examined the boys, looking at their faces carefully, as if to discern something that few could see. "Other abilities have they as a result of this bond?"

"Just the usual results of any twin bond between magic users—we are able to speak mind-to-mind, we are better able to heal each other, and some spells are stronger."

"Magic, hmm?" Yoda exchanged a glance with Obi-Wan who nodded. "All twins among your people this magic possess?" Even though the boys didn't look like they could possibly be twins, in the Force, he saw them as mirror images of each other and both very strong.

"Not all of them. Any twins share the bond to some extent or another, but most can only sense where their twin is, and if their twin is injured in some way."

"We can sense through the Force when they are speaking to each other through their bond," Anakin added.

Yoda thought about it for a moment. "Possible it is that Force sensitive they may be."

Rick exchanged a look with his brother. 'Do you think the magic we use for our spells is called “the Force” here, or are they talking about something else?' he asked through their bond.

‘It is certainly possible that it is the Force. I admit, I am most curious about if we are Force sensitive. If we are, then we might be able to pick up more training and surprise Father and the Cousins when we get home.’

Rick smirked at that idea. 'I'll say!'

Yoda looked at them as if he could almost hear what they were saying as they spoke to each other through their connection. Or at least, he caught the general idea anyways. "Get ahead of ourselves, let us not. Approve you for training, the Council may not. Start training at a much younger age we do, so more accepting their minds are. Not having to retrain learned instincts do we. Only rare exceptions there are. Speak with my fellow masters I must. Want to speak with you they will."

"Very well, Master Yoda. I would be interested in observing some of the basic teachings, if possible. I believe it will be very similar to the training Med-jai begin when they are quite young."

Yoda nodded his approval. "Now, go you must. Speak with the Council for you we will." He looked at Obi-Wan and Anakin. "After seeing them to the training rooms, attend the Council meeting you must."

"Yes, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bowed and stood as much as he could, leading the way out of the rooms.

The boys followed Obi-Wan and Anakin as they left Master Yoda's chamber. As they walked down the halls of the Temple, Rick felt his excitement rising, though he tried his best not to get his hopes up. 'Can you believe this?' he asked his brother through the bond.

Ardeth glanced at Rick. 'Believe what? The Force, the technology here, or the low ceiling?'

Rick laughed at that, attracting the amused smile of Obi-Wan. 'That they might train us. And with our training, we probably already have a head start. We may even get a pair of those cool swords!' The boy was so excited that, for a moment, he had forgotten how far they were from home, in both space and time, and that they still had no idea how they would get back.

The younger boy shook his head, trying not to laugh at Rick's enthusiasm. 'We will see what this council says. But for now, we should get in some training with scimitars. Father will not be happy if we come back and haven't practiced at all.'

'True. Maybe there will be a practice room that's empty when we get there,' Rick suggested. Soon, they were back at the network of training rooms. The students who were between fights bowed in respect to the Jedi Knights while the others remained focused on their tasks.

"You may remain here and observe the padawans' training, but we ask that you stay put until we return from the meeting," Obi-Wan instructed them.

Bowing his head in acknowledgement, Ardeth hoped that the padawans' training would be interesting enough to keep Rick from getting bored.

Once the Jedi were gone, Rick and Ardeth turned their attention to the young Jedi students. The pupils were mostly paired off, fighting duels in an arena-like room, some where the floors where littered with obstacles. There were even some pupils that fought their opponents blindfolded. And yet somehow despite the challenges, they blocked almost every blow. Rick was astonished. Many of these children were quite a bit younger than he and his brother, and yet they moved with incredible precision and grace. Even with the blindfolds, it was as if they could still clearly see their opponent.

The young Med-jai scanned the group until he spotted a pair doing some drills that he recognized. 'There, Rick. Watch those two. That's the drill we were working on just before we arrived here.'

Rick's mouth hung open slightly. 'It is!' He turned and looked at his brother. 'Maybe the Jedi are Med-jai. Maybe that's just their name for it.'

'That is what I have been wondering,' Ardeth said. 'I am curious, if they consent to this Force-sensitivity test, and to the basics the children learn, how much of it you and I will know.'

'Maybe if they see that we already know a good deal of it, they will be more inclined to accept us.' But then, Rick looked down in grave thought. 'If the Med-jai are also here, there is a need for them, no doubt. These Sith they talked about, I wonder if we'll run into any before we manage to find our way back home. And will they recognize what we are when we do?'

'I do not know. We will have to find their library after we get our own training in and research to find some information about this place. I think there is a lot to learn.'

'Yeah,' Rick agreed, though he wasn't thrilled with the prospect of research. It had never been one of his favorite things to do. 'Where's Evie when I need her?' he commented wryly.

'Somewhere a very long ways away,' Ardeth rolled his eyes. ‘Do not worry, I will try to make certain you have interesting things to read.'

'Thanks buddy,' Rick answered with a appreciative grin. After a while, one of the rooms freed up. O'Connell pulled his scimitar from the waistband of his robes. The draw was somewhat clumsy, since he was still getting used to wearing Med-jai robes, but he was slowly getting better. 'Ready to practice?' he asked the prince.

'Stretch out first, my brother.' Ardeth ordered, pulling his own scimitar and starting his own warm-up techniques.

Rick quickly did his stretches. Once he was done, he stood opposite Ardeth, scimitar angled downward in a defensive posture.

'Start with the basics, or go right to the more advanced drills?'

'Let's practice the advanced drills.'

'Very well,' Ardeth began moving through one of the advanced drills with Rick, having his brother play the role of defender first. He attacked with a series of short, rapid slashes and cuts.

Rick moved his scimitar in tandem, blocking each blow. He then advanced on his brother attacking with similar moves. The sound of the blades clashing bounced differently off the walls than the sounds the training sabers made when they clashed. But Rick tuned the harsh noise out, concentrating on Ardeth's stance, trying to determine which way he'd move next.

Finishing with the attack sequence, Ardeth started from the beginning of that drill again, tapping Rick on the shoulder to indicate it was his turn to attack. 'Remember to watch your footing on the third attack—if you mess it up like you did last time, I will give you a bruise.'

'Thanks,' Rick said, grateful for the reminder. Ardeth would do it too. Throughout a Med-jai's training, they had found it an effective way to prevent repeating past mistakes. And it would be a good deal worse in real battle. Rick swung his blade in attack, mindful of his stance as he ran through the exercise.

Using the prescribed defense, Ardeth blocked each blow, keeping an eye on his brother's stance. Their fights were a lot more interesting now that Rick's skill was increasing.

They were so focused on their moves and the drill that neither boy noticed that they had attracted a small crowd of on-lookers themselves. Several of the young apprentices had come at the strange sound of their swords colliding and stared with open curiosity as the two Med-jai trained, black robes fluttering as they sparred.

'Next drill!' Ardeth commanded, when Rick had gone through all of the attacks in the first drill. He let the older boy start out with attacking.

Rick’s blade sang as he ran through the attacks in his mind, carefully watching his footing. He had only just recently learned this set of moves, so he moved a little more slowly with these ones.

Letting Rick set the pace, Ardeth met each attack with a little more force, making certain that in his concentration Rick didn't forget to maintain a tight grip on his scimitar.

The tug of Ardeth's blows on his own blade reminded him to tighten his grasp. Then he ran through the defenses when it was Ardeth's turn to attack.

After they were done with the drills, Ardeth assessed how tired Rick was. 'Are you up for a free spar?' he asked, with a smile.

'Always,' Rick replied, his grin challenging. Even though Ardeth usually won their matches, he never tired of them.

Ardeth started off the fight with a series of attacks, moving quickly and gracefully around his brother.

Rick met his scimitar with his own, blow for blow, twisting the blade so that each of Ardeth's attacks glanced off to the side. Rick then brought his sword around at Ardeth in a series of slashes, trying to space out his brother's blocks so he could slip in under his defenses.

The prince kept his blocks perfectly aligned to protect his body and picked up the pace. Soon, their scimitars were nothing but a blur of flashing steel with loud clanging echoing in the room.

Rick matched his brother's pace. He rolled to the side at the same time aiming a blow at Ardeth's feet as he went.

Flipping over the attack, Ardeth landed in a crouch. He flipped his scimitar and used a light twist to gently knock Rick on the head before flipping it again to hold it by the hilt.

Rick rose, shaking his head and tossing Ardeth a rueful grin. 'I yield.' He had to fight hard to resist the urge to stick his tongue out at his brother. 'Wanna go again?'

'In a minute, I need some water first,' Ardeth murmured, sheathing his scimitar and stretching.

Rick nodded. He looked up, about to go find someone to ask for water, when he noticed several young humans and aliens all staring at them. Feeling slightly awkward, Rick approached one of them, a young Twi'lek girl. "Could I ask you to get us some water, please? I would get it myself, but I don't know where to go, and Master Kenobi told us to stay put," he explained.

The apprentice bowed to him. "Of course, just a moment." She and one of her friends ran off. A few minutes later, they came back with canteens. Ardeth took one of the canteens with a murmur of thanks.

Rick sat down beside him, and the apprentices dispersed, going back to their own drills and exercises. Rick looked at his brother with a wry smile. 'Just like the way your cousins reacted when you brought me home. Only less giggling.'

'That is a welcome relief. And they haven't offered any food yet, so we're safe from poisoning at least,' Ardeth watched as they returned to their drills. 'That was quite fun.'

'Yes it was, and quite short,' Rick chuckled, shaking his head as he took a large gulp of water.

'Are you rested enough to continue?' Ardeth asked, standing and stretching out.

'Yes,' Rick replied as he rose, setting the canteen on the sidelines and moving into the circle. Again, he took a defensive stance, deciding not to rush himself this time.

Ardeth circled Rick, also going slower this time. He started with some of the basic drills, making certain to twist each attack just a tiny bit so it was less predictable.

Rick watched his moves carefully and blocked the altered attacks. Then, he leveled a series of swings at his brother to see if he could push his back against one of the walls of the sparring room.

Backing away slowly, Ardeth hid his grin carefully. He had been hoping to try out a new move for a while. Once against the wall, he jumped and kicked against the wall for extra momentum to flip across the room.

Rick watched astonished as his brother flew over him. He ducked in case Ardeth decided to aim another blow at his head. 'You've gotta teach me that later,' Rick said, smiling as he moved to meet the prince before he got his footing.

'Once I have mastered it, I will,' Ardeth promised, finding his feet again and clashing blades with Rick.

Rick swung his blade down on Ardeth's, trying to hit it as close to the hilt as he could with all of his strength in an effort to disarm him, but still careful not to hit his hand.

The boy met Rick's blow strength for strength, laughing. 'Come on, my brother, faster!'

Rick smiled challengingly. 'As you wish, buddy.' He stepped up the pace of his swings his blade moving in quick graceful swings as he barely managed to get under Ardeth's guard and brush his brother's left arm with the flat of his scimitar.

'Well done, my brother!' Ardeth put his arm behind his back. Shifting slightly so that the rest of his body was behind his own scimitar blade, he met Rick's attacks with attacks of his own.

Rick deflected the blade which seemed to come at him endlessly. He rolled out of the way of a few close calls. He saw an opportunity and kicked out at his brother, aiming for his chest.

The blow sent Ardeth falling backwards, but he rolled and came up quickly. 'You are improving rapidly, my brother.'

'Thanks,' Rick said as he tried to press his advantage. His blade met Ardeth's with a crash.

Sliding in closer, Ardeth caught Rick's sword wrist with his own free hand and tightened his grip, trying to get him to drop his scimitar.

Rick held on for a while longer, but his brother's grasp was strong. Rick tried to roll back to break free of Ardeth's grip before he lost his sword.

Ardeth let Rick go and instead twisted to get his sword at Rick's throat.

Ardeth's blade just barely missed Rick's throat, but he hadn't expected Ardeth to let go of him. So instead of a roll, Rick fell with a thud onto his back, stunned for a second.

The younger boy snickered as he looked down at Rick. 'Do you yield, my brother?'

'Yes,' Rick said as he shook his head to try and get everything back into focus.

'Are you hurt?' The younger boy asked, concerned, when Rick didn't immediately try to get up.

'No, but it's nice and cool down here on the floor,' Rick said as he sat up and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Ardeth laughed, and offered Rick his hand. 'Come my brother, time to get up! Before our hosts think I've seriously injured you.'

At this, Rick grinned viciously, sorely tempted to start acting as if he were dying, but he resisted as much for the sake of Ardeth's dignity as his own. Taking his brother's hand, he rose to his feet, sheathing his scimitar and heading back over to down the rest of the water from his canteen.

Following him, Ardeth paused, startled to glance towards the door and realize that Anakin and Obi-Wan were back. Normally, he was much more aware of being watched.

Rick, noticing his brother's surprised expression, followed his gaze. 'I wonder how long they've been standing there,' Rick commented through their bond.

'I do not know. I was not aware of when they arrived, which is most unusual.' Ardeth shook his head. "How was your meeting?"

"Our meeting went well," Obi-Wan said. "They are intrigued by what we told them of you both and wish to speak with you. They have a great many questions to ask and they have agreed to test you for Force sensitivity. Though whether or not you are to be trained in the way of the Jedi is yet to be seen."

"If it is true that our magic is the same as your Force, then we will most likely have had similar types of training."

"You may want to mention that to the Council, then," Anakin advised. "They may be more inclined to grant this request if you have already had some training."

The young Med-jai shrugged. "I do not know for certain, but it seems likely."

"Very well," Obi-Wan said. "The Council will convene in an hour. That should give you both enough time to clean up beforehand. We will show you back to your room and then come to take you before the Council in an hour."

"Thank you," Ardeth inclined his head, making certain that his scimitar was secure in his belt. 'Are you ready to get cleaned up, my brother?'

'Yeah,' Rick answered as the two of them fell in step beside the Jedi.

"Your dueling techniques were most impressive," Obi-Wan commented along the way. "How long have you both been training?"

"I began my training as soon as I was old enough to hold a training scimitar. Rick began his training just a few months ago, after we met for the first time."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard in deep thought. He decided to stop by the records room and retrieve the feed from that particular training room to show to the Council. "You both must learn extremely fast."

The boys exchanged glances. "No faster than any other Med-jai."


	3. Chapter 3

They reached the room, and the Jedi promised to return with in the hour. Rick and Ardeth hurried inside to prepare. Rick let Ardeth shower first tossing him a towel and washcloth he found in a compartment off to the side in their room before grabbing a set for himself. He desperately hoped that the bathroom in this place wouldn't be as difficult to figure out as the door lock had been.

After a little while of messing with it, Ardeth figured out the refresher unit's controls and got cleaned up. Once he was done, he showed Rick how to work it.

Rick was in and out quickly after that. He went to another compartment Obi-Wan had told them about to pull out a fresh pair of robes for the two of them. Fortunately, the Jedi tunics came in various sizes to fit the students of the Temple, so they were able to quickly find a set of robes that fit them both.

'Oh, this is wonderful—clean clothing that fits us and is very similar to our own!'

'I know! No having to walk around in a uniform that makes you look like you've shrunk a few feet,' Rick sighed, relieved that he wasn't going to have to relive the embarrassment they had suffered at the SGC.

Ardeth laughed, remembering what they had looked like in those ridiculous clothes. 'I wonder what the Force sensitivity test involves.'

'I don't know,' Rick said, though he imagined it would probably not be a written test like the ones he was used to taking when Father Duncan had been teaching him. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Rick didn't even bother with the lock this time. "Come in," he called.

Obi-Wan and Anakin came in. Anakin was looking highly amused. "So, want me to teach you how to use the door?"

"That might help. Thanks," Rick said, giving the datapad a sideways glance.

Anakin showed both boys how to work the door. It wasn't too difficult, just very different from anything they were used to.

Once they were finished, Obi-Wan turned to the boys. “Are you ready to go before the Council?”

“We are.” Ardeth said, after a glance at Rick earned him a nod.

“Very well then. This way.” Obi-Wan led the way through the passages to the Council chambers. Once there, Obi-Wan and Anakin both took their seats, leaving the boys alone in the center of the circle.

‘This reminds me very much of whenever the Elders call Father up to discuss his latest commands,’ Ardeth told Rick through the bond.

Rick nodded in agreement. Fortunately, he hadn't had to go before the Elders very many times yet. Yet, of course, being the key word, he suspected in the back of his mind, especially with how much he and Ardeth got into trouble. He held himself erect and maintained his composure as he felt the eyes of the Jedi Council members looking at him, or more so, through him.

"Consider your request to train, the Council has. What intend you to do with any training?" Yoda asked, heavy-lidded eyes focused on the boys.

"In the world where we come from, we perform much the same task that it seems your Order performs here: to protect our world from the evils that threaten it. If we return to that world, we plan to use it to help us do that," Rick stated.

Yoda exchanged glances with the rest of the Council. Mace Windu steepled his fingers. "We will test you to see what levels you are at, then. Our training may not be a feasible option for you, as you are starting it so late."

Rick nodded to the Council respectfully, trying to keep his face passive. He knew it was not a sure thing, but the possibility excited him. 'Well, I guess we're about to see what the testing process is,' he commented to Ardeth through their bond.

'This will be quite interesting, I'm certain. Maybe this is a way that we can use to discern at a younger age who is a magic-user in the tribes.'

All of the masters felt the Force-pulse as the boys talked to each other using the bond and exchanged a glance.

The glances that Obi-Wan and Anakin and Yoda exchanged were knowing. Rick had to force himself not to cast about in a confused manner at this action, and it took a second to remember that these people could sense it when he and Ardeth communicated through their bond. He decided it would probably take him a while to get used to that.

"Knight Skywalker, you will help our guests and supervise the testing." Master Windu said, glancing over at Anakin, expecting to be challenged because of the assignment.

But determined not to make the same mistake he had made at the last Council Meeting, Anakin respectfully acknowledged the task he had been given. It was annoying in some aspects to be bothered with babysitting these two when he felt that he could be doing something more valuable with his time. But he also found that these two boys intrigued him slightly, and he had more in common with them than he had originally suspected.

"Inform us, you will, of test results," Yoda told Anakin sternly, and tapped his gimer stick, about to dismiss the session.

"Before we leave, Masters, there is something I would like to show you," Obi-Wan interjected. Intrigued, Yoda nodded to him. Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. "Anakin, would you bring up the recorded video feed from the training room?" he asked, smoothing his beard to hide his smile. It was going to be entertaining to watch the reactions of the staid masters to the scimitar duel between the boys.

Anakin motioned the boys over a bit closer to him for the moment as he accessed the security feed Obi-Wan was requesting. Rick and Ardeth moved over to him as he pulled the shades. The chamber room slowly became isolated from the rest of Coruscant as the tint of the windows darkened. As a hologram display appeared in the center of the room, the Masters watched in surprise as they saw the two Med-jai boys performing sword techniques and training that was taught exclusively by the Jedi Order, or so they had thought.

Both boys watched the display in amazement. 'This is a very useful tool. Look, your form slipped there and I missed it,' Ardeth commented, nudging Rick and indicating the spot with a dip of his head.

'Yeah,' Rick acknowledged, more fascinated by the technology than his technique as he stared at the life-size holographic reproduction of him and his brother. It blew his mind that they had this footage and how they were displaying it. He watched the duel play through and noted the murmur that rippled between the council members.

Yoda nodded as if satisfied. "Discuss this, the Council must. The boys take, and their testing begin, young Skywalker."

Skywalker bowed to the Masters, as did Rick and Ardeth. Then the three of them left the Council Chamber. Rick looked up at Anakin as they walked down the hallway. "So what all is involved in one of these tests?" he asked.

The young knight shrugged. "Well, first I'm going to check your midichlorien count. For that, I just need to take a little blood sample from each of you. Then we'll do some of the tests to see what sort of training you've had."

Rick winced inwardly at the mention of the blood sample. Of course you do, he thought. He looked over at Ardeth to see how he was taking the news.

The younger boy looked resigned, but not too happy about the situation. Anakin brought them to the Infirmary. "I'll let the healers deal with the midichlorien count stuff—they're good with things like that."

Rick nodded and turned to Ardeth as Anakin over to the side of the chamber. 'Well, at least we're not here for multiple injuries like we usually are,' Rick joked to his brother. 'I wonder if they're healing is similar to our own since our fighting and magic are also similar.’

'I do not know, but I sincerely hope we don't find out about their healing styles the hard way,' Ardeth murmured, watching warily as a medic prepared a needle for the test.

Rick sat on one of the beds beside his brother. "You and me both. Though it's almost a shame, if we do manage it, no one will be able to back up our story when we tell Dad and Amir,' he teased as the medic made her way over to the two of them.

"Arm, please," she said, looking from one boy to the other.

Rick held out his arm and watched as she took a sample of his blood.

Ardeth looked slightly ill as he offered his arm in turn. He refused to watch, flinching a little when she started.

'She's not quite as warm as Amir is, is she?' Rick asked hoping to get Ardeth's mind off of the blood draw.

'That can be a good thing, though. Amir never lets me forget that he was there when I was born, and he knows me better than I know myself, so I must listen to him.'

'Well, he does know us both well enough at least to know when we have injuries to hide, which I'm not quite sure if it's endearing or annoying yet.' Rick joked.

Ardeth smiled at that. 'It becomes annoying after a while, believe me. When we get home after this, he will find out exactly what has happened to us, and do his best to treat us for it, even if we are healed.'

'No surprise there,' Rick mused. By this time the healer had finished and taken the blood samples to an analysis station on the other side of the room. Rick watched curiously for her reaction.

As she studied the screen, her eyes got big, and she glanced back at the boys. "It's not possible," she muttered and ran the tests again.

Rick looked over at Ardeth, not really sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 'Should we be running for our lives right now? Are we in trouble?' were the first instinctive questions to run through his mind.

Ardeth sensed Rick's apprehension and sent a wave of calm through the bond. Anakin glanced up from his datapad and went over to the medic to find out what was going on. He came back a minute later, shaking his head. "She's confused because your blood shows that you're twins, even though you're obviously not. And your midichlorien count is pretty high—not as high as mine, but still pretty high."

Rick laughed about Anakin's comment on him and Ardeth clearly not being twins. But when he heard they had a high midichlorien count, he was uncertain. "That's a good thing, right?"

"Yes, it's a very good thing—it means that you're strong in the Force, and you have a lot of potential." Anakin told them, glancing back at where the medic was running the tests for a third time.

Ardeth tried very hard not to laugh. 'Do you think we ought to help the poor lady out and tell her about us?'

'Probably,' Rick though back both amused and feeling pity for the confused medic.

"Ma'am," Ardeth said, catching the attention of the medic. "Your machines are not broken. Rick and I are soul-twins, so it is not surprising that there are physical evidences of that fact."

The woman stammered in confusion, looking between the boys. "'Soul-twins'?"

"I had a twin brother that died in birth and his soul was born in Ardeth," Rick explained.

The woman still cast back and forth between the Med-jai a few seconds before slowly nodding and turning back to her console with an uncertain look on her face.

Anakin was trying hard not to laugh at her predicament. When Rick and Ardeth looked at him, he mouthed, "She'll be okay." Then he turned to her, thanking her for her service before he led the boys out of the room.

"I hope we did not break your medic," Ardeth told Anakin, trying not to smile.

"She'll be okay," Anakin assured him barely able to keep from laughing himself. "We just don't encounter rebirth often.... or ever that I know of.”

Ardeth shrugged. "It is rare, but it has happened before. Usually when a soul has not done all that it needs to do before it died. Apparently a lot of souls from several thousand years ago, at the time when the Med-jai were formed, are reborn periodically, as they have much they were unable to accomplish."

Anakin thought about that a moment, wondering if that ever happened somewhere in this galaxy like it seemed to happen in Rick and Ardeth's world. He resolved to ask Obi-Wan later about that.

Rick had been about to ask what was next, but considering how the last time he had asked that they had ended up having to have blood drawn, he figured maybe it would be better to find out later.

"This way," Anakin brought them to an unused classroom and settled on one of the mats on the floor. "Time for some more tests. We've determined that you do have the Force—now we need to know what sort of control you have."

"What do we do?" Rick asked.

Anakin grinned a little. "Bring those mats over here without getting up."

Rick and Ardeth grinned at each other. 'It's a good thing we practiced this one with your cousin’s furniture,' Rick commented to his brother.

'A very good thing. Race you!' Ardeth grabbed one of the mats and brought it flying through the air as fast as he could.

Rick tugged at his mat as well just barely coming in behind Ardeth's. 'Nuts!' Rick sighed. Then he turned to Anakin to see if they passed.

The Jedi looked a little stunned. "I take it you've done that sort of thing before?"

"We've redecorated his cousins' rooms that way.... and then we ran for our lives." Rick mused remembering that day and how Suleimon had barely saved them.

With a laugh, the Jedi shook his head. "Alright, you can move things. How about emotions? What am I feeling?" Anakin purposely turned his thoughts to his mother, and all the grief that still roiled within him, but kept his face neutral.

"Sorrow.... and loss," Rick said, his face grave. He could feel it keenly as he knew Ardeth could too. They were both too well acquainted with it to not know it.

"You lost someone very dear to you not long ago. You still mourn this person deeply."

Anakin nodded solemnly. He then turned his thoughts initially to Padmé, but then feeling this might be a mistake turned them instead to Obi-Wan his former Master and closest friend.

Ardeth cocked his head to one side. “That feels like a father-love, but not completely. Maybe a close friend?” The younger boy glanced over at Rick and raised an eyebrow.

"Very close," Rick nodded in agreement. "As close as someone can be without actually being blood related."

With a slight shrug, Anakin decided they had explained his own conflicted feelings of Obi-Wan fairly well. He pulled his datapad out and turned on the picture slideshow. "Use the Force to tell me what is on the screen."

The first image that appeared in Rick's mind confused him. It looked like slightly reminiscent of a chariot, definitely a vehicle of sorts. But instead of horses to pull it forward there were two round cylindrical engines. The only things he knew that looked like it were the turbines on the jet plane that had carried him and Ardeth to Egypt when they had inadvertently traveled in time to the year 2006. Stranger still, on this device those two engines were connected by a bolt of lightning.

Ardeth was also confused. "I have no idea what sort of device that is. It looks like it might be used for transportation for a single person."

"Oops," Anakin said instinctively, having to remind himself that the boys were not familiar with their level of technology. "Sorry." Another image flashed on the screen, a lightsaber which he knew they had seen since they had been in the sparring chambers.

Brushing Rick's mind through the bond, Ardeth let him answer this new one. He hid a smile, wondering how people would react if the boys started answering everything at the same time with the same words.

Rick smiled at his brother's prompting. "A lightsaber."

Anakin scrolled through his pictures, looking for something the boys would recognize. It was difficult, since most of the pictures on his datapad were of engines, robots, schematics. He paused for a moment on a picture of Padmé, wondering how that had gotten on his datapad.

"A beautiful woman that you feel strongly for," Ardeth's voice broke the reverie Anakin had fallen into, staring at his wife.

Anakin looked up only for a second. Only the years of Jedi training kept the color from rising to his cheeks and his expression impassive as he turned his eyes back down and continued to scroll through the images.

Rick was slightly confused by Anakin's reaction. Subtle but both he and Ardeth had seen it, the barest hint that they had stumbled upon something they oughtn't, a secret he guarded closely.

Ardeth glanced over at Rick out of the corner of his eye, and let the subject of the lady drop, although he was curious. They answered the next several questions without any problems, and Anakin decided that was enough with the datapad.

Anakin looked at the boys for a moment, and Rick returned the evaluating stare. "So, do we pass?" he asked tentatively, unable to hold in his curiosity.

The Jedi fought back his distraction and smiled at them. "Yes, you do—you both are quite strong in the Force. Now, we just have to find out what level you're at, so we know what classes to put you in. Are you at the same level of training?"

Rick shook his head. "Ardeth's farther ahead than me. He's been training since he was a kid but I only started a few months ago."

Anakin stood and went over to a cupboard. He pulled out two datapads and handed them to the boys. "There are tests on here. A lot of the material you won't be able to answer, since you aren't from this galaxy, but just do the best you can. Let me know when you can't answer any more questions."

Rick looked at the datapad, holding in his disgust. He bowed gratefully to Anakin, but groaned inwardly. 'I knew there had to be a written exam part to this test somehow,' he thought to his brother.

The younger boy snickered. 'It was inevitable. Just do your best, my brother.' Ardeth started working through the tests. With his more extensive and specialized training as prince, he knew enough to at least make educated guesses for almost all of the questions.

Rick too, though he hated tests, did pretty well with the questions even though he certainly didn't have as much recorded and unrecorded history in his head as his brother did. He handed the datapad back to Anakin once he was done.

The young Jedi switched the pad to the teacher mode and looked at the results for Rick's test. "You'll be in classes with those who have just become padawans—they're generally around twelve to fourteen. We'll have to see if you're in that age group in saber forms as well, but that can wait for now. Since Ardeth is still taking those tests, here." Anakin showed Rick how to play some games on the datapad.

Rick, fascinated with technology and glad for something to do, played the game for a while as he waited for his brother to finish. Then pushing a wrong button, he accidentally switched out of game mode. Rick grimaced inwardly, but now that he'd had a little more experience with operating a datapad managed to find his way to a star chart. Figuring this would work just as well, he scrolled through the list of planets starting where he'd left off, trying to see if he could find a planet that matched Earth's description, figuring that maybe here and now they called it by a different name possibly.

After nearly an hour, Ardeth gave up on the tests and handed the pad over to Anakin. 'I think it ran out of tests,' the boy told Rick through the bond. 'What are you working on?'

'Looking through planets,' Rick answered and quickly assured his brother. 'Don't worry, I'm not trying to access the goa'uld's memories. I'm just looking for a planet matching Earth's description. I thought maybe they have a different name for it here.' He set the datapad aside and looked up at Anakin who was frozen as he stood looking at Ardeth's test results.

Following Rick's gaze, Ardeth blinked in confusion. 'Do you think I broke him?'

'Possible,' Rick said, amused as he tilted his head. 'We tend to get that reaction from people a lot, don't we?'

Anakin pressed a couple of buttons on the datapad to make sure the information on the screen was correct, but it came back the same as before. His eyes narrowed somewhat for a second, but he took a deep breath and focused on the Force trying to let go his irritation. But it wasn't working.

Sensing the shift in Anakin's mood, both boys quieted their talk through the bond. "Did I do something wrong on the tests?" Ardeth asked tentatively.

Anakin's eyes met the boy's, and he slowly shook his head. "No," he spoke quietly. "I have to go and give these results to the Council. I'll come get you both when they've made their decision." He bowed his head curtly, turned, and strode out the door, leaving the boys to find their own way back to their room.

Rick rose to his feet and moved over to stand beside his brother, more than a little frustrated with Anakin's brusque behavior towards Ardeth.

'I wonder what that was about,' Ardeth said, confused. 'It was almost as though he was jealous of me—although I cannot see why he possibly would be. Does he even know that we are royalty? I do not believe we mentioned that.'

'No we didn't,' Rick replied as he stared after the disappearing Jedi. 'But I think you're right. I don't get it. Sometimes he seems okay with us, others he just wants to get away from us." He shrugged, shaking his head as he looked at Ardeth. 'Well, I guess we find our own way back to our room from here.'

The younger boy grinned. 'Lead the way, my brother. It's excellent practice for learning the passages through the sacred areas.'

Rick grinned, shaking his head in amusement now. He led through a few passageways and to his credit only had to pause two or three times before remembering the correct direction. Soon, they were standing outside their room.

'And at least now we know how to get in and out. Well done, Rick, you're growing more skilled at remembering directions,' Once inside, Ardeth flopped onto his bed.

'Thanks,' Rick said as he sat on his own. He turned to look out the window a second, watching as the many vehicles whizzed by in their traffic lanes around the skyscrapers of Coruscant. 'That was strange though. When he paused during the test. Did you feel that? When he was asking about the images on the screen.'

'It was very strange. I wonder,' Ardeth looked out the window also. 'Do you know the datapad thing well enough to look up information on the Jedi? There were several questions in those tests about the 'Code', and I want to know what that is.'

'I think so.' Going over to the datapad, Rick pulled up the main screen. Soon, he found and accessed a file detailing the Jedi Code. Leaning his arm against the wall, he inadvertently pushed a button that dislodged the datapad from its jack. Rick, barely catching it, looked at the screen with wide eyes. The screen was unchanged, and it still seemed to be functioning. Pressing a couple of buttons on the now portable datapad to make sure, Rick sighed in relief to know he hadn't broken it. Bringing it over to Ardeth, he sat on the bed beside him as they both looked at it. "It looks like their rulebook," Rick commented.

Ardeth read over it, frowning. 'This does not make any sense. It does not allow them to feel their emotions? Without our emotions, we are nothing!'

'No, it doesn't,' Rick said agreeing. 'Besides I could feel emotion in that Council chamber.' Rick shook his head. 'How do they go around life not feeling anything? They couldn't do that even if they tried.'

'Oh, select that document over there—the one that says something about the old Code.'

Rick selected the file his brother was indicating and the text streamed across the screen.

The older code said, "Emotion, yet peace.  
Ignorance, yet knowledge.  
Passion, yet serenity.  
Chaos, yet harmony.  
Death, yet the Force." Ardeth nodded as he read it. 'That one makes much more sense. They have emotion, yet they also have peace. Look, it was never discontinued, they just all were taught the newer version.'

'This one sounds a whole lot better and more practical than this new one they're using,' Rick commented. 'I wonder what caused them to switch.'

'I do not know. See if you can find a history of the Jedi. It will be helpful for us to know as much about the Jedi as possible.'

Rick pulled up some more files that they spent a while pouring over.

After a few hours, both boys could sense Anakin coming back. If possible, he seemed even more annoyed than before. Exchanging a glance, they hurried to clean up the little mess they had made before he knocked.

Rick was able to open the door immediately this time, but this didn't seem to assuage Anakin's bad mood. "The Council wants to see you now," he said, his voice even. Not even stepping into the room, he turned and began walking down the hallway. Rick shook his head slightly as he exchanged a look with Ardeth before falling into step behind Skywalker.

Back in the Council Chambers yet again, Ardeth and Rick bowed respectfully to the Jedi Council while Anakin took his seat. "Your skills, very impressive they are." Yoda told them, studying them carefully.

"Normally we would not train students so old, but considering the current aptitude you already possess, we have decided to accept you for training to become Jedi Knights," Mace Windu said.

"Thank you. We appreciate the honor, but we do hope that the training is temporary. We will be doing our best to find a way back home, as soon as possible." Ardeth told them as diplomatically as possible.

The Council members nodding accepting this. Anakin who was still stewing over the results of Ardeth's test was sitting passively but grateful that this was only temporary. He couldn't believe the Masters were accepting these boys for training when they had barely accepted him when he was at least five years younger than these boys had to be.

Yoda's ears flicked in Anakin's direction. "Help build your lightsabers, Knight Skywalker and Master Kenobi will. Young O'Connell, join you will the class of new padawans. Teach you, young Bey, Knight Skywalker will."

Rick blinked, but his face remained unchanged. Knowing that the Council would be able to sense his feelings, he focused on the prospect of getting a lightsaber, quelling his misgivings about Anakin teaching his brother, especially since the knight for some unknown reason seemed to harbor a grudge against the boy. He would talk to his brother about it later. Instead, he bowed to the masters.

"Is there anything else?" Ardeth asked, a hint of his majesty leaking into his tone of voice, since he had forgotten to try to hide it.

After a moment's silence, Obi-Wan looked at the boys. "Anakin and I will be by in an hour or so to start you with your lightsabers, and to take you to supper."

With a bow of thanks, the boys left the Council chambers heading back to their room. As soon as Rick felt they were a safe distance away, he groaned. He was glad they were accepted, but still... ‘This is going to be.....interesting.’ He looked at his brother to see how he felt about this.

Ardeth nodded, frowning a little. 'If Anakin does not talk to me about whatever it is that I have done to upset him, I may have to confront him. But for now, we will let it slide.'

Rick nodded. Skywalker didn’t seem like the type of person to open up. But Ardeth was more skilled at dealing with that than he was. Then hoping to distract his brother, he turned, a grin stretching across his face. ‘Wait until we get home and Dad sees our lightsabers though!’ he enthused, excitement rising in him again.

Laughing at that mental image, Ardeth shook his head. ‘I am certain that he will confiscate them until we are older, so we may want to hide them.’


	4. Chapter 4

Rick grimaced at the thought of losing their new toys and heartily agreed with Ardeth. Once they had reached their room, Rick began to look over the work bench a little more thoroughly, trying to see if he could figure out what each tool would be used for. Since Obi-Wan had said that these were used to construct the lightsaber, he wanted to try his hand at operating them.

'Be careful, my brother,' Ardeth warned, sensing Rick's intentions to explore the tools. He went over to the table to examine the crystals again. 'I wonder what purpose these serve with the lightsabers.'

'You said they could be used for light spells,' Rick said thoughtfully as he ignited the small welding blade. 'Maybe it's what makes the blade glow.'

'That is possible. But what makes the blade solid, so that it can actually be useful?' Running his hand over the crystals, Ardeth flashed a grin at Rick and silently cast a light spell that would wear off in a few minutes. The crystals burst into light.

Rick smiled as the crystals shone casting a myriad of colors dancing across the walls of their room. As Rick picked one of the crystals up in his hand, it was pleasantly warm. He closed his fingers around it and the beams shot from between his fingers as if he contained a star in his grasp. He brought his focus to bear with Ardeth's and the crystal began to shine even brighter, first the one in his hand and then the rest of them sitting in their hold on the bench.

Ardeth cupped his hand around the one Rick was holding. The combined touch made the crystal's glow brighten so much that it was nearly blinding, responding to the magic in them.

Rick exchanged an excited glance with his brother. 'Oh, now we have to show Dad this!' he beamed enthusiastically. He wondered if the Jedi would mind him taking one crystal home with them and silently slid one into his pocket.

After the boys put the crystal down, it continued to glow softly. The other crystals lost their glow slowly, but that crystal, whenever one of the boys got within a few paces of it, would start shining again.

By the time Rick was done testing all of the tools, there was a knock at the door. He moved over to the datapad that he had left on the table between their beds before they had gone to the Council meeting to open the door.

Obi-Wan and Anakin were there. Anakin was doing his best to hide his attitude. "Hello again, boys. Experimenting with the tools already?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes amused.

Rick smiled at Obi-Wan. "Trying to get the feel for how they operate," he said as he put the welder down.

"That is wise. Well, shall we get started? Anakin, would you bring up some schematics for different sabers please?"

Anakin nodded and turned to the wall where the datapad had been, only to find the empty jack. Rick winced as he moved past the bench over to the table where it was. Picking it up, he handed it to Anakin. "I was doing some research," he explained.

Giving the boy an incredulous glance, the knight pulled up the schematics. He personally hated research unless it applied to his beloved mechanics.

Catching the meaning behind that look, Rick gave him a crooked smile, half empathizing with him, half glad he wasn't in trouble for breaking the datapad. "I don't like research either but I was looking for our world in the star map."

"Yeah, I can see why you would want to do that," Anakin conceded, relaxing enough to grin at Rick. He put the pad down between the boys, tensing up again and turning away rather than looking at Ardeth.

The tension wasn't lost on either of the boys, but what Rick couldn't get is why he seemed okay with him but not his brother. Rick forced his attention to the schematics Anakin had brought up, looking over the various designs. "There are so many," Rick murmured.

"Trust your feelings, let the Force guide you—it will lead you to the one that is right for you." Obi-Wan's voice was quiet as he watched them look through the schematics.

Rick looked at his brother for a brief second, then turned back to the display. His eyes skimmed over several, his mind trying to focus on the Med-jai power that these people called "the Force". As he did, one design in particular caught his eye. There was nothing outstanding about this particular schematic, but the hilt of the lightsaber was long and practical, and as he pictured himself holding it as the padawans in the sparring rooms had done, he felt it would fit well in his hands.

Catching Rick's thoughts through the bond, Ardeth studied the one that held the older boy's attention. 'Yes, that one will fit you well. Ask them if there's some way to mark it—I have not found mine yet.'

Rick turned to Obi-Wan who, noting the design the boy had chosen, pushed a button on the work bench bringing up a three-dimensional holographic display of the Jedi weapon. Rick then wondered for a moment as the design flickered to life, hovering in mid-air, if they'd miss the work bench when they went back to their own world.

Ardeth continued to look through the designs for several minutes before finding one that called to him. It was more slender than the one Rick had chosen, but very similar to his scimitar hilt.

Rick smiled as he recognized the familiar shape. 'You might not have to be taught how to use it,' he mused. Noting Ardeth's choice, Obi-Wan brought up another holographic schematic, hovering right beside his brother's.

When the boys went over to the workbench, the crystal they had held earlier burst into light again, startling both Anakin and Obi-Wan

Rick looked at Ardeth, a little surprised that the Jedi looked so astounded. "I take it that doesn't happen often around here?" he guessed.

"Not usually, no," Obi-Wan rubbed a hand over his beard. "How did you get it to light up like that?"

"It was just a light spell, but we did it at the same time," Ardeth told him.

Obi-Wan moved over to the bench and picked it up, examining it closely. The light pulse went down after a few moments since the boys had moved away from the workbench to make room for him. He picked up another of the crystals which seemed less affected and handed it to the boys. "Would you show us?" he asked

Shrugging, Ardeth took the crystal, focusing his will on the light spell as he moved so that Rick could also cup his hand around the gem.

Rick place his hand over Ardeth's, trapping the crystal between, and the light seared out of their hands.

Obi-Wan and Anakin both had to shield their eyes. "Fascinating," the elder Jedi commented.

"Crystals such as these easily hold light and heat spells, along with other minor ones, such as light healing," Ardeth said, putting the crystal down next to the other one. The two gems pulsed with light

Anakin was impressed but refused to let it show. Obi-Wan motioned the two boys over to the work bench to begin construction on their lightsabers. Ardeth would go first and Obi-Wan made room for Rick to watch the process so they could both learn the basics of its construction at the same time.

Ardeth listened carefully to Anakin's instructions, following them as best as he could. The young Jedi nearly snapped at the boy a few times when he almost grabbed a wrong tool, but reigned in his temper with an effort, since Obi-Wan was there.

The boys weren't the only ones who sensed the tension. Obi-Wan knew his former pupil too well for him to hide his heart from him. He could understand Anakin's frustration with the situation, but he knew Anakin's reactions were not helping his side of things either. He didn't say anything though, resolving to speak to his friend about it later.

Rick watched his brother as he constructed the weapon, attaching the ignition circuitry, placing the crystal into its setting, intrigued by the elegance and intricacies of the system within the metal cylinder.

The Med-jai prince kept his own frustration at Anakin's attitude hidden behind his diplomatic mask and obeyed the man's instructions with care. It was fascinating to watch the delicate wires connect to form such a powerful weapon. The crystal he used was one of the two that the boys had put the light spell on—it almost leapt into his hand when he went to take one.

Rick's eyes widened as the crystal had come to him, then smiled shaking his head in wonder. But this did nothing to improve Anakin's mood. And Rick could hear it in his voice. Anakin was becoming a little annoyed himself with how much contempt he obviously harbored for Ardeth. And while he knew it would only make the situation worse to reproach him for it, he had to battle within himself to keep his own tongue in check.

Obi-Wan, sensing how quickly the situation was degenerating, waited until Ardeth finished the section he was on. "I think it's time for a break. The cafeteria is open for the evening meal—are you two hungry?"

Rick nodded, glad to focus on something else, and he knew that if he was going to be civil, he'd need something in his stomach.

"Food would be appreciated," Ardeth put down the beginning of his lightsaber with relief, glad to escape the charged atmosphere at least for a little while.

Anakin also was relieved at his suggestion, until on the way there, Obi-Wan motioned the boys inside, his eyes clearly telling Anakin to stay for a moment. Once the boys were out of earshot, Obi-Wan stood there outside the cafeteria looking at Skywalker, not accusing him or interrogating him, but simply waiting for him to speak.

Anakin sighed heavily, feeling very much like a padawan again. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll try harder to deal with my feelings. But that boy is just so—so perfect!"

"I understand how you feel. It's not easy being compared to someone else, to be denied something that is given to another," Obi-Wan said gently. "However if you are harsh with him, you will not gain the Council's respect. But if you are able to teach Ardeth well, if you are able to treat him with dignity and respect, then they will begin to see you as the skilled Jedi that I know you to be."

Anakin lowered his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "I understand, Master. I need some time to meditate and think. Would you take help them with the rest of their sabers? It shouldn't take long."

"Of course," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "And you can call me Obi-Wan now. You've more than earned your status of Knighthood."

"Thank you—Obi-Wan," Anakin smiled back at his mentor and went off. He would get in a few minutes of meditation so he wasn't lying to Obi-Wan, then he would go visit Padmé. That would be the best way to calm himself.

Obi-Wan turned back in to join the boys who were already devouring their food. Rick looked up and nodded to the Jedi as he sat down, Anakin's absence not lost on him but he knew it would not be wise for him to open the floodgates and inquire about it.

"When does a Jedi normally make their lightsaber?" Ardeth asked.

"Usually the students at the temple construct their lightsabers well before they become apprentices, but a Jedi will often rebuild it using crystals they've found while training under the tutelage of their Masters," Obi-Wan replied.

Ardeth nodded and ate quietly. He was trying to figure out some way to keep his emotions under control and deal with the constant tension between Anakin and himself.

Obi-Wan sensed his effort and sighed inwardly. He wanted to explain, to tell Ardeth why Anakin had been so curt with him, but he knew it was not his place. The rest of the meal went by in silence, and when the boys were through eating, Obi-wan escorted them back to their room.

Ardeth glanced from his half-finished saber to Rick's eager face and stepped back with a laugh. 'Go ahead, my brother, start yours.'

Half of Rick didn't want to interrupt Ardeth’s process of building his lightsaber, but the other half was dying to try it himself. After a few seconds hesitation, his excitement overrode his courtesy, and he took Ardeth up on his offer.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard several times, trying to hide his own grin. He patiently coached Rick through the beginning stages. It was fascinating for him to watch how the boys used the Force unconsciously, bringing tools within reaching distance or sealing a crack in the casing before it could be of danger to themselves.

As he examined Ardeth's almost finished lightsaber, he noted that his crystal had been perfectly placed, rare for someone so early on in their training, unheard of for someone so unfamiliar with the technology. Rick used the other of the pair of crystals they had illuminated. He worked with his longer than his brother had, but when he pulled away, Obi-Wan noted that it too went right into place.

After that, it didn’t take long for the boys to finish up their sabers. Once they were done, Obi-Wan took a step back and smiled at them. “Go ahead, try them out. Just remember—these blades, although they look like light, can kill.”

Rick held the saber pointed away from himself and his brother as he pushed the button on the hilt with his thumb. He smiled broadly as the blade hummed to life. The blue blade extended from the emitter disk. He enjoyed the sound it made as he carefully swung it through the air in front of him. He looked over to see his brother's weapon at work.

Ardeth was looking at his blade, obviously annoyed. "It's purple." He said, glaring at the royal color as if he could change it by staring at it hard enough.

Rick tried desperately to hold his amusement in at his brother's plight and ended up sounding quite comical as he choked on his laughter. Trying to calm himself enough to speak, he managed, "But it looks good like that."

Obi-Wan seemed confused about Ardeth's disapproval, still unaware of his royal status or his feelings about it.

With a sigh, the boy sent a half-hearted glare over at his brother. He switched the lightsaber to his left hand, and pulled out his scimitar. Holding the two weapons close together, the boy whispered quietly to the scimitar in Arabic, explaining the purpose of the new weapon. Among the Med-jai, family heirloom weapons tended to take on a certain amount of sentience after many generations of service in the duty, especially if they were bound to a magic user. Beset, the scimitar that had been in the royal family since the beginning of the Med-jai, was almost fully sentient and often like an overprotective mother.

Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow as the boy spoke in hushed tones seemingly to his weapons. After a moment, he concluded that it might be an incantation or some sort of custom where Ardeth came from.

Rick was grinning as he looked over his own weapon again, his swings arcing slightly wider but still not touching anything or endangering lives. After a second, he let the blade slowly retract into the hilt again and sat down on his bed as he examined the weapon's completed form. He was pleased with how comfortable the lightsaber felt in his hands, satisfied with design he had chosen. 'Or did it choose me?' he wondered to himself, then shrugged.

Finally satisfied that the Beset understood, Ardeth sheathed his scimitar and went through one of the basic forms with the lightsaber, trying to get a feel for the weapon. It was much different from any sword he had used before, since there was almost no weight to it.

Obi-Wan smiled as he saw them marveling at their lightsabers. "An elegant weapon," he commented, "isn't it? It will take a while for you to adjust to the differences, but seeing how quickly you two pick things up, I'm sure you will have no trouble. You will find your energy extended since it doesn't draw as heavily upon your strength as most other weapons do."

"It will be good to learn another weapon, but I think that you are still going to be learning most of the forms with the scimitar, Rick." Ardeth told his brother, shutting off his own saber and clipping it to his belt. "The weight will accustom your muscles to the forms better than the saber's weight."

Rick nodded absently, still absorbed in examining his new toy. Even as his hands closed around the hilt, he could feel the gentle rhythm of the pulse of the crystal within as it throbbed, still attuned to the boys’ presence. He was glad that it made no noise as he thought about the impact that might have in battle one day, especially while trying to sneak up on one's opponent.

"Well, your training will begin tomorrow. I will see to it that Anakin escorts you to your lessons before he begins his instruction with Ardeth. Is their anything else you need before I bid you good night?" Obi-Wan asked.

Ardeth glanced around the room, then met Obi-Wan's eyes. "I do not believe so. Thank you for your assistance."

"You are most welcome," Obi-Wan said, bowing to the boys. "May the Force be with you." And with those words of parting, he exited the room, heading off to check on his friend before retiring to his own chambers.

Rick lay on his stomach on the bed, still examining every aspect of the weapon, burning the image into his mind, his thoughts drifting excitedly towards tomorrow's lessons. He stopped for a moment to share his enthusiastic grin with his brother.

Ardeth laughed at Rick's excitement. 'Such an American! Always wanting a brighter, shinier weapon!' the younger boy teased gently.

'Of course!' Rick replied still grinning fiercely. 'What better way to stop the bad guys with?'

'Of course. Well, I am going to get some sleep—I will need all of my strength to be patient tomorrow.'

Rick's grin faded as he placed his lightsaber on the stand near his bed. He would not be able to be there to stick up for his brother while he was in lessons tomorrow, though he knew it would probably make very little difference. And nothing he could say or would say could stem the hostility between the two. Of that, he was well aware. 'Yeah, well, maybe if he gets too impatient Obi-Wan could take over like he did tonight,' Rick suggested hopefully, though he didn't know if the Jedi worked that way.

'We will see what happens. If it gets to be too much, I might try to put a spell on him to change his attitude.'

Rick laughed out loud at the idea as he slipped under the covers on his bed. 'If you do end up doing that, I want to be there to see it!' he smiled. He looked out at the cityscape at night, surprised at how bright it still was. Used to the environment of the Kiriyah Gan, the haunted sacred sites, even the orphanage in Cairo, he had never thought there could be so much light pervading the darkness and he found it was making it difficult for him to gear his mind psychologically for sleep. Added to which, his mind was still racing with thoughts of the day’s events and all the new things they had done and learned upon coming here. Sighing heavily, he resigned himself to the fact that he was not going to fall asleep very soon.

Then, Ardeth's hand was on his forehead, and the younger boy was murmuring a spell that sent Rick into a deep sleep.

Rick's eyes closed heavily, his wound muscles relaxing. In the light that streamed in the windows, the boy's face looked much younger than he was, betraying nothing of the hardships both he and Ardeth had suffered over the past few months. His chest rose in a steady rhythm as he lay there in serene slumber.

Ardeth shook his head at how easy it had been to put Rick to sleep. He moved quietly, divesting Rick of his weapons and piling them on the end table. Spending several minutes fiddling with the window, he figured out how to open it to get a breeze in and pulled the shades down to block out the light somewhat. Once he lay down, it didn't take long for exhaustion to catch up to him, and he fell asleep.

Obi-Wan sighed when he found Anakin's bedroom was empty when he reached it. He was hardly surprised, though he could never admit that to himself. Anakin spent very little time sleeping in his own room at night whenever he was on Coruscant. He was just restless, the Master convinced himself. This war they were fighting had everyone spending many sleepless nights searching for answers. Anakin had obviously sought a place of familiarity that was out of the reach of any calls to Council, Obi-Wan thought to himself. He knew this was best because a meeting with the Council right now would only upset him further.

Obi-Wan decided to go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains and get some meditation in himself before returning to his room.


	5. Chapter 5

The next thing Rick knew it was morning. The sun that Coruscant orbited poured light into the room, despite the window shade because of the metropolis' orbital mirrors. The warmth that fell into the room felt reminiscent of home, and was a warm way to welcome even for someone who was most definitely not a morning person. Rick stretched the sleep from his muscles slowly as he looked over to see if Ardeth was awake already as was his brother's wont.

Ardeth was just coming out of the refresher unit, drying his hair. He smiled at Rick. "Good morning, my brother. How did you sleep?"

"Very well," Rick chuckled at the irony of his brother's question. "Thank you. You?"

"The same as you. I do not know what time our new training will begin, so you might want to hurry to get ready,"

Rick nodded as he moved over to the compartment in their room to grab some towels. Rick quickly moved into the refresher unit , remembering how to work the controls from the day before. "I gotta tell you," he called out to his brother, "I like the bed sheets here a lot better than the ones they had at the SGC."

"Yes, it is much more comfortable here. I do not know why, but it feels more like home, even though it is a city." Ardeth slid on his robes and armed himself again.

"Maybe it's because we're not trapped underground or under protective custody," Rick agreed with his brother. Soon he had finished cleaning up and came out, changing into a fresh tunic. As he dressed, he noted his weapons sitting on the table beside the sleep couch. "Oh yeah," he winced as he realized that he had forgotten to remove them and that his brother must have done it for him. "Thanks," he said to his brother indicating his gun collection with a jerk of his head.

The younger boy rolled his eyes. "Soon, you will not be able to move from the weight of all the weapons you carry. And then I will have to defend you and destroy our attackers at the same time, while you try to decide which weapon to use!" Ardeth teased him gently.

Rick tilted his head trying to picture it, a sly grin on his face at his brother's joke. "Well, at least we know the lightsabers won't add to the weight," he teased back, as he smoothed his wet hair flat against his head. He moved over to the night side table and began to gear up, more out of habit than anything else. He was used now to having to be ready to defend against attack at the drop of a hat, his mind not even considering whether he would need it for day's activities or not whilst they were in the safe haven of the Jedi Temple. But then again in their experience the boys had learned that no place was completely safe from attack. Except perhaps Kiriyah Gan; Rick was not sure if anything could endanger them there. And in the back of his mind, he hoped he never found out.

Just as they finished getting ready, there was a knock on the door. Ardeth opened it to let Anakin in. The man looked somewhat calmer than the day before and managed a genuine smile for both of the boys. "You two ready for some food?"

Rick was relieved to see that Skywalker’s manner was a good deal more civil this morning, and his apprehension about what the day held for his brother eased somewhat. “Always,” he said eagerly. He picked up his lightsaber as well and, having no slot big enough for it on his bandoleer or holsters with the rest of his armaments, carried it in his hand.

“Rick, that is not polite. Either find a spot for it on your belt, or leave something else behind,” Ardeth told him, when he realized what his brother was doing. “It is not appropriate to wander around with a weapon in hand unless if you are in a battle, or in one of the sacred areas.”

Rick blinked at the reprimand, surprised. He hadn't thought of it that way. He shrugged, knowing that his brother was more mindful about such things than he was, and took one of his knives out from his belt leaving it next to his bed. He then slid the lightsaber into its place, and looked at Ardeth to see if that would do.

The younger boy smiled at him and nodded. Anakin was watching the exchange with some bemusement. The walk to the cafeteria was made in silence, though it wasn't as uncomfortable as the day before.

Once they got to there, Rick and Ardeth loaded up a full tray as they did when ever they were able. Thinking about Ardeth's comment earlier about his weapons, and knowing that his brother would not be with him later on that day to keep him from making further errors in judgment, Rick turned to Anakin. The boys were both in a foreign environment even though it felt pleasanter than most of the places they had wound up in the last few weeks, and he had no idea about the standards for etiquette they had in this place. He was the type of person who usually didn't care, but he figured it would probably be best to know what he should or shouldn't do. "Are there any specific rules that I need to follow while I'm in training?" he asked the Jedi.

Anakin blinked at him, startled out of his thoughts. "Not really. Just make certain to obey the teachers, but most of them are pretty fair. You probably will have to ask for help with some of the assignments, since you're not up to date on galactic history. Really, this is the best place to be, since Jedi don't normally get upset over small things."

"Okay," Rick said, glad that he didn't have to worry too much about causing an incident by saying or doing something that might upset someone.

“If you do get confused by something, try asking me, and if I don't know, I could ask Knight Skywalker, if he does not mind," Ardeth suggested, after a moment.

Anakin looked over the boys for a moment and shook his head that no he didn't mind.

Rick looked around the mess hall for a moment, still taking in all the different sentient beings in the hall. Usually, when they saw something not human, especially when they were in a sacred site, it was never a good sign. So he had to force himself to relax, reminding himself that the aliens here were not threats to existence. Most of them did throw an occasional curious glance in their direction, which was an improvement from the open stares they had had to endure at the SGC when they had first arrived.

Ardeth ate quietly, watching the crowd in the room from the corners of his eyes, not obvious in his staring. This whole adventure was quite different from anything he had ever experienced.

Anakin laughed a little, noticing both their glances at the alien students who milled about the hall going through their daily routines. "I take it you don't see very many other races on your world," he guessed.

Focusing on the knight sitting with them, Ardeth managed a slight smile. "On our planet, other than the animals, any creatures other than human are almost always evil."

Anakin's brow furrowed, misunderstanding Ardeth's meaning. "Why? Because they're not human?" he asked trying to ask the question with patience and an even tone.

"No, because they are evil by nature. Some of the Creatures were human at one point, but have become warped by the evil they served in life, so in their undeath they are even more dangerous. Our planet is isolated from outside influences—I believe that the only aliens that have visited Earth have been the Tok'ra, and the Goa'uld." Sensing Anakin's slight annoyance, Ardeth did his best to explain.

Anakin nodded after a moment, his annoyance disappearing as understanding took its place. He was surprised though that a planet could be so cut off as to have little to no visitors from other worlds. Of course, both worlds that he had lived on in his lifetime had always been thoroughfares of intergalactic travel. "Tok'ra and Goa'uld?" he asked, curious. He had never heard of those races before.

Ardeth glanced over at Rick, making certain his brother was comfortable with this topic of conversation. He didn't want to hurt his twin or cause bad memories to resurface.

Rick looked down at the table thinking for a moment. With his memories suppressed, he felt he would be okay. He nodded to let Ardeth know it was alright to tell him. The event in question had happened a short time ago, and the wounds were still a little too fresh for him to speak of it himself.

Ardeth turned back to Anakin, making certain the bond between himself and Rick was wide open. "Both Goa'uld and Tok'ra are an alien race are symbiotic in nature. They have to dwell inside of a creature, preferably a human. The Goa'uld are truly parasitic, taking over the host and they are a plague on our galaxy. The Tok'ra are similar to the Goa'uld, but they do not destroy their host."

Anakin had caught the exchange between the boys before Ardeth had answered his question. He could sense the pain this subject brought them, Rick in particular, and suspected they probably had hard experience to testify to this knowledge. He gave no outward sign that he had noticed, feeling that it was probably not an easy subject for them to talk about.

Rick continued to look down at his now empty plate as Ardeth explained. He was glad for the bond between him and his brother, reassured by the prince through their connection.

Anakin decided that he could ask further questions about these races once they had taken Rick to his instructor. But he wondered at this new race. If the boys had made it here, then there was a chance that these Goa'uld could make it here. He released a heavy sigh hoping that it would never happen. He didn't think the Republic could withstand another threat to its people.

Once the boys were done eating, Anakin stood. "Let's get going. We'll get there early enough that I can introduce you to your teacher, Rick."

Rick nodded. Once they had taken care of their plates, they began to head down the halls towards the training areas. Rick felt weird about being separated from Ardeth. Over the course of the past months, the two of them had been through a lot together and hardly been apart for any amount of time. It wasn't that Rick was concerned for Ardeth's safety while they were here in the Temple surrounded by Jedi Knights, and their bond made the distance between them seem non-existent, but it was just odd.

Sensing his twin's thoughts, Ardeth rested a hand on Rick's shoulder and brushed his mind through the bond. 'You will just have to work hard not to cause any trouble without me there to back you up.'

Rick rolled his eyes in amusement at his brother's jibe. 'I seem to recall saving your butt a number of times when you got into trouble, too.' he teased back.

'Yes, well, I am more accustomed to strict training regiments than you are.'

Rick shrugged as if this didn't matter. 'You're point?' he asked a mischievous glint in his eye. 'Besides what's the fun of behaving, really?'

Ardeth ducked his head slightly to hide his grin. 'At least try to behave for a little while. If you are innocent, at first, then there is less chance of you being accused of anything later on.'

Rick paused, tilting his head to the side as he considered Ardeth's proposition before a wide smile stretched across his face. 'That is a good point. I like that idea,' he said nodding.

The silence except for the regular Force-pulses between the boys caught Anakin's attention, and he glanced back to see both of them grinning. "What are you two planning?" he asked suspiciously.

Rick tried to assume an innocent face, and ended up only looking all the more guilty because of it. "Nothing," he said quickly. "Who says we're planning anything?"

'That will certainly calm his suspicions,' Ardeth rolled his eyes at Rick and smiled at Anakin. "My brother desires to cause mischief, as always. I have talked him out of it."

Anakin smiled, beginning to show a mischievous grin himself. "No need," he said as he looked back ahead of him. "Sometimes it's good to keep the Masters on their toes." It had been something that Obi-Wan had told him long ago, but he knew that he would probably scold him for using it in this context, though he also knew that it would be an obligatory and half-hearted scolding.

The boys exchanged a glance. "Wait for now. We will plan later. I wonder if Daniel ever figured out the mysterious language we left behind for him."

Rick chuckled to think of it. "Oh, I imagine we'll find out someday," Rick replied, knowing full well that they would meet them again. "And we'll probably get the scolding then for putting him on."

"But by that time, we will be far older than him," Ardeth pointed out, grinning.

"And he won't be able to lecture us then," Rick sighed with satisfaction.

Anakin was confused by this. "You be older than him then? How?"

"We have had many adventures since we met a few months ago," Ardeth said. "Not long ago, we met some people from the future, and were forced to seek shelter with them in their time from a dangerous evil. It was a challenge returning to our own time. We only managed it because our future selves were alive and knew how to get us home."

Anakin was astounded. With the boys' obviously limited experience with technology, he was amazed that they could have traveled through time, a feat that even with the Republic’s vast resources and technological advancement had not achieved.

Rick smiled slightly at the stunned look on Anakin's face as they stopped in front of his classroom. "Yeah, that was pretty much our reaction too at the time."

"Yes, and now we have to figure out how to get home without the experience and help of our future selves. You haven't forgotten the incantation, have you? As soon as you get a chance, write it down for me so I can try to figure out how to reverse it."

"Okay," Rick agreed hesitantly. Having landed in this place the last time he had messed with that spell he was a little reluctant to even think the words of incantation again. But he resolved that as he did he wouldn't say anything out loud.

Anakin stopped in front of a door. "This is your classroom, Rick." He opened the door, and led both boys in. Most of the rest of the class hadn't arrived yet, and the teacher was still setting up. Anakin introduced Rick to the teacher, explaining the basics of the boys' situation.

Rick looked up at his teacher. The man, who was from the planet Gala, seemed almost human except he had pale blue skin that gave off a sort of glow.

Smiling kindly at Rick, the man gestured the boy to a chair and handed him a datapad to take notes with. Anakin grinned at Rick. "You'll be following this class around all day. When you're done, you can either eat in the cafeteria or go back to your room. If you get lost or have any problems, ask anyone, they should be able to help you."

Rick nodded gratefully, "Thanks." He looked down at his datapad for a second, glad to note that it was identical to the type they had in their room. 'Good luck, buddy,' Rick thought to his brother before he moved to take his seat.

'And to you as well, my brother. Have fun with your learning,' Ardeth said. He obediently followed Anakin out of the room, wondering what would happen now.

Anakin led Ardeth a little further down the hall. He intended to instruct Ardeth more heavily in the technology and history of this galaxy so that he felt like he actually had more that he could teach him. After they had done that, he could work with Ardeth on saber combat. He knew it would take a little adjusting for Ardeth to get used to the weight of the new weapon. As they entered a room a ways further down the corridor, he handed Ardeth a datapad. "We shall begin with history." He gestured for Ardeth to take a seat as he pulled up a holodisplay of the galaxy as it was at the beginning of recorded history.

The boy's eyes widened at the sight of all of the planets and the holodisplay, but he kept quiet. Sitting, the boy pushed his hair back out of his face and focused on Anakin.

Anakin began to instruct him about the beginnings of the Republic, about alliances between various worlds and how they affected each other, of wars and other various confrontations. He also explained many planets that were of note, describing their races, their cultures, and their various impacts on trade and intergalactic affairs.

Trying his best to take in all of this new information, Ardeth put his extensive training as prince to good use. By the time Anakin was tired of history, Ardeth's datapad was full of notes, and the boy was struggling to process all of the new facts. He glanced down and held in a sigh—he had been so busy that his notes were in a multitude of languages. He would have to translate them all into one language before they would be of use to him.

Anakin walked over to see Ardeth's progress and saw all the different languages that the boy had written with. He gave a tired chuckle sensing Ardeth's overload. "I think that's enough history for now," Skywalker commented. He had planned on working with technology next, but since the boy was already trying to soak in the information they had just gone over, the Jedi felt it would be better to approach a subject that Ardeth already had some experience with. "Are you ready to try out your lightsaber?"

The boy's eyes lit up. "I would greatly enjoy that," he said, finding the way to save his notes to the datapad and putting that aside.

Anakin led Ardeth to one of the many sparring chambers. This one was only a few rooms over from the one Rick and Ardeth had used the day before. Anakin examined Ardeth's lightsaber once they reached the room, since he had not been there for its completion. "Very good," he murmured, nodding his approval before handing the weapon back to the prince.

The boy inclined his head. "Thank you," he said, accepting the lightsaber back. "Is there a training version of this type of blade that I can use until I am accustomed to it?"

Anakin shook his head and pointed to a knob on the hilt. "We use our own sabers for practice. But for training we adjust the intensity of the blade. Turn the knob all the way to the left to put the beam on the lowest setting," he said as he did the same with his own. "At this setting, the blade gives only minor burns. Nothing the healers can't handle."

The boy turned his saber to the lowest setting, then ignited it. He grimaced again at the color. Hopefully no one would figure out what it meant.

Anakin stood opposite of Ardeth, his blade ready, as he waited for the boy to signal that he was ready. Once he had, the Jedi initiated the combat. He went slowly, trying to assess Bay's abilities.

Ardeth was grateful for the slow pace. He was used to a much heavier weapon, so he nearly missed several easy blocks because he moved the saber too fast. But after several minutes, he got more of a feel for the weapon and started in on one of the basic sparring patterns.

Recognizing the pattern and seeing that Ardeth was becoming more comfortable with the saber's use, Anakin followed into the pattern. Watching the boy's form, he noted with mild irritation that it was, of course, perfect. He pushed that back down, trying to keep Obi-Wan's advice from the day before in mind. But despite this, a little of his frustration was beginning to become evident in his fighting style. His swings become only the slightest bit more aggressive, and he began to allow a little less time for Ardeth to react.

Noticing the slight changes, Ardeth altered his own style to match Anakin’s, wondering what he had done to irritate the man this time. Anakin's actions were reminding him far too much of when he had first begun his training with the boys his own age, and their reactions to him. Many of them had been bitterly jealous of him because of his status as prince, and often ganged up on him. Ardeth had learned faster than they did, though, and was soon moved up into the next skill-level, but the same thing was repeated there. After a few months of this, Suleimon had pulled Ardeth out of the training sessions altogether and assigned private, trusted tutors to the boy. Ardeth hoped that Anakin wasn't jealous of him, although he didn't know what the man could possibly be jealous of.

Anakin went with Ardeth through the form and he moved without pause into another, though he did not realize that instruction was no longer the goal he had in mind, competition taking its place.

As they picked up more and more speed, moving into the harder forms, Ardeth struggled with his instincts in how to handle the lightsaber. So far he was holding his own against Anakin, in this not-quite free duel, but the boy was tiring.

Anakin, seeing that his anger was getting the better of him, pulled back suddenly disengaging his lightsaber and walking away from the fight. He stood facing the wall for a minute trying to gather himself. He was angry at Ardeth for being so gifted and for having earned the Council's immediate approval. But he was more angry with himself, disgusted at these feelings he harbored towards Ardeth who had done nothing to deserve his ire. Obi-Wan was right; this was no way to prove to the Council that he was ready for the title of Master.

Grateful for the unexpected reprieve, Ardeth turned off his saber and clipped it to his belt before stretching. He didn't want to get sore later, not in a strange environment. As he moved, he kept part of his attention on Anakin.

After a moment, Anakin's voice drifted back over to Ardeth, "It's not you." He knew the boy deserved an explanation. Though he wasn't sure if he was ready to give one yet.

Hearing Anakin's words, Ardeth's movements stilled. "But something that I do, or something that I am is still making things difficult for you," the boy guessed, He rubbed a hand over his face wearily. "It is not unusual." Ardeth thought of the few people that accepted him completely—his Father, Rick, his cousin Hessa, and a few others, but overall, among the tribes.

Anakin sighed heavily. How could he possibly explain? And how could this boy even begin to understand? He shook his head. "We're finished with lightsaber forms for the day. Next, I will teach you how to use our technology," Anakin said, sidestepping the subject and beginning to lead the way out of the room.

Ardeth followed behind Anakin, silent. He resolved to do his best to not frustrate the man, but it would be difficult, since he still didn't know what he was doing that bothered Anakin so much.

'Are you okay?' Rick's voice entered his mind, sensing Ardeth's confusion.

'I frustrated Anakin again, and I don't know what I did,' Ardeth said, relaxing a little at hearing Rick's voice. 'How are your classes going?'

'They're going okay,' Rick answered. 'My teacher is nice, though I think my brain is going to explode with all the new information.'

'I know the feeling. My notes are in several different languages, so for them to be any use, I need to translate them all into one language.'

Rick chuckled, but then he sighed sympathetically. 'I hope the rest of your lessons go better.'

'Thanks. Be careful in your lightsaber class—it is very difficult to adjust to the weight difference of having no metal blade,' Ardeth warned, then realized that Anakin was turning into a room. 'I will talk with you later, my brother.'

'Thanks for the tip, Ardeth. I'll talk to you later.'

The room Anakin had brought him to had a data console, a workbench and a few bins of mechanical parts on the floor lining the wall. Next to the console was a storage chest that contained circuit boards, tools, spools of wire and other things for constructing and repairing droids, computer constructs and other devices employed throughout Temple.

Ardeth stared around at the crowded room in slight awe. He had no idea what most of the items in the room were for, or how any of it worked.

Anakin picked up a handful of tools, pulled a couple of small wires and circuit boards out of the storage chest, and gestured Ardeth over to sit at the work bench. He set his collection down on its surface and then pulled his commlink out of a pocket in his robe. While he taught Ardeth, he would work on his own project as well, figuring that repairing the device that had been damaged on his last mission would help him to focus.

Ardeth looked from the pile of machine parts to Anakin. "What is it, exactly?"

"It's called a commlink. It's a device we use to communicate over long distances," Anakin explained, his frustration dissipating somewhat as he arranged the parts and tools. "Today you're going to learn how to make one." Anakin turned finally meeting the boy's eyes now that he felt he could do so without saying something he knew he'd just end up regretting. He placed the tools that Ardeth would be using out before him.

Ardeth bit back a sigh. Rick had already proved several times over that he was better with new technology. The younger boy could usually figure it out, but he didn't enjoy it.

Anakin sensed the boy's discomfort and sighed. It was not a frustrated sigh, but a cleansing one, releasing his hostility. He would go slowly. He began to explain the functions of each of the tools, careful not to use references that he knew Ardeth would not know. He pulled up a basic diagram that was clearly drawn out and would be easy for the boy to follow. He disassembled his own commlink, showing Ardeth each part and explaining its purpose and comparing it to the diagram to show him where it went. Then he slowly and patiently began to guide Ardeth through the process of building one himself.

The more relaxed mood Anakin was in now helped Ardeth, and the boy slowly let go of the tension winding his muscles tight. After Ardeth finished the comlink, Anakin had him take it apart again, and try to reassemble it without the diagram. That took the boy longer, but he was used to taking apart guns to clean them, so he was able to finish the challenge. He did end up with grease and oil smears all over his hands and face, though. It made his tribal markings stand out even more than normal.

Anakin was pleased with Ardeth's progress, though he had to stifle a laugh at the grease the boy had all over his face. He couldn't hide in his curiosity. "If I may ask, what are these markings on your face? I have never seen a human with such markings before."

Ardeth glanced up, startled, his hand automatically going up to brush against the marks, leaving even more grease behind. "These ones, on my cheeks, are the tribal markings for all Med-jai. They mark a person as one of the tribe, a sacred protector of mankind, a warrior. Most do not receive them until they come of age at sixteen. My other ones serve a slightly different purpose." At the thought of the royal markings, Ardeth dropped his gaze to scowl at the purple lightsaber again.

Anakin followed his gaze to the lightsaber, confused by his scowl and his cryptic answer. He allowed the boy to see his questioning glance, but would not press him if the boy did not wish to talk about it.

Ardeth sighed softly, but decided that since Anakin was his teacher, the man ought to know the full truth. "The other markings are the ones that signify that I am the only son of Suleimon, king of the Med-jai."

"Oh," Anakin said, nodding. He watched the boy carefully. "I take it then that you don't like being identified as such?" he guessed by Ardeth's reluctance to speak of it.

The boy's smile was sad. "Because of my status, Rick was the first person besides my father, one of my cousins, and a few of my father's counselors that accepted me for who I am."

Anakin returned the sad smile. He knew what it was like to be rejected because of status. "I was born a slave on my homeworld. Most people thought of me as a possession rather than a person for the longest time. Aside from my mom and the friends I had made with other slaves, the first person to accept me was...was a queen actually, but I didn't know it at the time."

Ardeth smiled up at Anakin. "Then we are alike in some ways. I thought you said in your history of the galaxy that slavery was outlawed."

"That's for planets with in the Republic. There are a few planets on the outer rim of the galaxy that have not joined the Republic. These worlds are ruled but Hutts. Slavery's one of their biggest profit margins," Anakin said gravely. "But someday, that's going to change," the man said more to himself than to Ardeth.

"As well it should. Slavery is wrong," Ardeth said, voice grave. "May I ask why Rick and I were put into different learning groups?"

At this, Anakin looked down and sighed. Not irritated, but resigned. He looked back up at Ardeth. "You are more advanced in your abilities and training where the Force is concerned."

The boy nodded. "That does seem logical. I began my training as soon as I was physically able, and Rick was only brought to Kiriyah Gan a few months ago. But why am I not in a class with other children like he is?"

"You're incredibly advanced. You have already reached the level where had you trained with the Jedi instead of the Med-jai, they would be willing to award you the status of Knighthood." Anakin could feel his frustration starting to build again but he tried to push it away. "You're fourteen and yet they are considering if you should take the Trials. The youngest Jedi to take the Trials to become a knight was in his early twenties."

"Do the Jedi have a leader they turn to, or a king?" Ardeth asked, guessing that Anakin was that youngest knight to take the Trials.

Anakin shook his head. "The Jedi Council decides when a padawan is ready to begin the Trials. We aren't ruled by a single individual. The Council guides our Order, making calls on precedent and policy and they try to follow the Jedi Code. Though sometimes the Code can seem vague so many disagree about its interpretation."

"Rick and I looked up the Code last night. I admit, the Code they are currently following does not make sense to me. The old Code seems much more accurate."

Anakin looked down at the boy, surprised, but not unpleasantly so. He agreed with the boy, but he had never dared mention that to any Jedi before. He hadn't even dared to ask Obi-Wan, afraid of disappointing his former master. "I agree, but I don't think it would be a wise idea to tell the Council," he said with a rueful grin.

Ardeth shrugged. "I am not afraid to stand up to elders or this Council. I have been standing before the Elders with my Father for years, and soon I will have to do it alone. If they are wrong, they are wrong. If I am wrong, then they will explain it to me."

Anakin shook his head and shrugged. "You haven't had a dressing down by Master Windu yet. The man can be very.... " he paused trying to think of a respectful way to describe the man without disparaging him, "...adamant when he wants to be. But you are welcome to address them on this if you wish. Though they may assign you a new mentor afterwards declaring me unfit."

"I will not talk to them yet, not until I know and understand more of the situation here. I am curious about their reasoning, though." Ardeth lifted his hand to push his hair back, caught sight of the grease, and decided against that move.

Anakin handed him a towel he kept to clean up with, chuckling again at the boy's grease stained face. "Once you figure it out, let me in on it. Even I have no idea how their minds work," he laughed.

Ardeth's smile was bright. "I will be certain to do that." He cleaned off his hands, and put the towel down, not realizing that his face was filthy.

Anakin laughed and shook his head, handing him the towel again. "You missed a spot," he said indicating the boy's face. "I imagine if you greeted your brother like that he wouldn't let you hear the end of it."

The boy winced. "Thank you. Yes, Rick would delight to have something to hold over me. I've been his main teacher, so he gets frustrated at having me always be better than him."

Anakin bit his tongue, resisting the urge to say that he could sympathize with Rick in that regard. Checking a chronometer in the room, he stood. "Well, let's get some lunch. Rick's class should be breaking for the midday meal too. We can resume lessons afterwards."

"What should I do with this?" Ardeth asked, holding up the comlink he had built.

"That is yours to use now," Anakin replied. "You'll need it for when you start going out on missions." He showed the boy how it fit onto his belt.

"Thank you," Ardeth attached it to his belt, and stood, his scimitar a reassuring weight against his leg.

"You're welcome," Anakin said as he led the boy out of the room and down the hall towards the cafeteria.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick was already there with Obi-Wan, asking him questions about the parts of the lesson he hadn't understood, the older Jedi explaining it to him.

Rick looked up and smiled to see his brother. He motioned him and Anakin over to the table. Obi-Wan was pleased to see them as well, and even more so to sense that there was a greater sense of easiness between the boy and his former Padawan.

'So how did the rest of your lessons go?' Rick asked Ardeth tentatively, not looking up at Anakin so the man would not know he was talking about him.

'Much better. We talked some, and I think that helped. He knows now what I am, and I think he understands a little,' Ardeth told Rick, sitting and eagerly eating. 'How were your classes?'

'They went alright, but boy have we got a lot of catching up to do. Man! And I thought the Med-jai had a never ending span of history! My brain has turned to mush!' Rick laughed shaking his head. He was glad to hear that things were working out between his brother and Anakin. He had been sorely tempted to lay into him when he saw him next for giving Ardeth such a hard time, even though he was sure it wouldn't help matters.

"How many years does a person normally train as a Jedi?" Ardeth asked, once he had slowed a little in his eating.

"It's a lifetime commitment, and one never stops learning as they continue on down the path of a Jedi. But usually as far as stages of ability go, usually padawan will train for approximately ten to fifteen years under the tutelage of a Master until they are ready for the Trials. Once they pass the trials they become a Knight which they train in for a number of years until the Council deems them ready to be given the title of Jedi Master. The number of years between those periods varies greatly from person to person," Obi-Wan explained.

Ardeth nodded, understanding a little more why Anakin was frustrated with him. If it had taken the man quite a few years to become a knight, it would indeed be annoying to have a mere boy be considered for advancement first.

Anakin sat silently, his face impassive, but Obi-Wan could sense that this was just a mask. Though the man was glad to notice that the emotions roiling behind it weren't as strong as they had been the night before.

"So what do Jedi do once they become Knights?" Rick asked.

Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the boys. "We go throughout the galaxy, wherever we are needed, bringing peace and justice to the planets."

"That's gotta be a tall order to fill," Rick said grimacing. "Heh, it's hard enough on ONE planet," he said looking at Ardeth.

"Yes, and we have twelve full tribes, along with many allies." Ardeth shook his head. "I cannot imagine how many people it would take for this galaxy."

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged sad glances. "More than we had I guess," the younger of the two said.

"We cannot solve everyone's problems, especially if they won't let us," Obi-Wan responded.

"Shouldn't we be able to, though?" Anakin asked, his former Master.

"And take away their choice in the matter? That would be a form of slavery, Anakin. The very thing that we defend against."

Anakin nodded in reluctant agreement. He couldn't really argue with that, but still it felt as if the politicians dragged their feet too much and sometimes people were too stubborn to know what was good for them. But he was right. If they didn't have a choice, what were they fighting for?

Ardeth and Rick watched the two men debate. Their topic was obviously a familiar one, and its words well-known to both. 'I wonder if that's what we'll look like in a few years,'

Rick grinned at his brother. 'It wouldn't surprise me,' he commented raising his eyebrows. He too was also having a brief moment of deja-vu.

'Well, at least we know what we will be like,' Ardeth said with a grin. 'Oh, look at what Anakin helped me make!' the boy pulled the comlink off of his belt and showed it to Rick.

Rick’s eyes went wide with wonder. ‘Sweet! What does it do?’ he asked, turning the commlink over in his hands carefully.

'Apparently it is a device to communicate with other people over a long distance. He had me put it together, then practice taking it apart and rebuilding it. I almost expected him to pull out a blindfold, but he did not.’

Rick chuckled at this, as he handed the commlink back to his brother.

Obi-Wan and Anakin looked on at the boys as they passed Ardeth's new commlink between them, both adults sensing their private conversation. I wonder if they do that without thinking, Obi-Wan wondered to himself, having noticed that the two did this often slipping into that mode casually.

He glanced at Anakin with an amused glance, then gave an approving nod. He had an idea that the small device in the prince's hand had probably allowed Skywalker and Bay to bond a little, and he could feel the improvement between the two.

Suddenly remembering that there were other people sitting with them, Ardeth switched back to speaking out loud. "Will Rick be learning to make a comlink also?" the boy asked, as he attached his back to his belt.

Rick looked up at the Jedi eagerly for their answer. Obi-Wan chuckled warmly. "Yes, he will. In fact that part of a Padawan's training is coming up in a few days."

The boy's eyes sparkled in anticipation and he threw out a whoop of delight, drawing the attention of those around the meal hall. Rick however was too excited to notice or care.

Ardeth rolled his eyes, but otherwise retained his decorum. "Rick, do you recall that discussion we had last month about blending in with your surroundings?" the boy asked, voice dry.

Smiling at his brother, Rick thought about it a moment, then shook his head.

"Remember the time we rigged buckets of water over The Cousins' doors, and stayed to watch what happened? You laughed out loud, leading to an . . . eventful morning. We discussed with Gen how best to blend in with our surroundings?"

Rick's smile faded into a sort of grimace. "Oh, yeah. That conversation. But this is different," he insisted as his smirk resurfaced. "This time we aren't deep in the heart of enemy territory!"

The younger boy sighed heavily and gave up. Turning back to his food, he finished that.

Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other with what Rick recognized as mischievous glances. The boy looked at the Jedi who quickly averted their eyes and went back to their own meals. Rick's curiosity rose. "So what kind of pranks do the Jedi play on each other?" he asked, surmising from the men's expressions that they had their fair of experiences with playing practical jokes.

Obi-Wan tugged at his beard, covering a grin. "Jedi are far too dignified to play pranks."

Anakin's smile was widening as he nodded in agreement.

"Of course," Rick said nodding his head sarcastically, not buying their weak denial.

"What did you do for entertainment when you were not training?" Ardeth asked, voice just as calm as Obi-Wan's.

"Well, we spar. Sometimes we go swimming the lakes in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. We visit friends or favored locations around Coruscant. Or sometimes sneak off to observe and participate in illegal racing tournaments." Here he cocked an eyebrow and looked pointedly if not amusedly at Anakin.

Anakin gave his best innocent look. "Well, it is a great way to learn more about the people in the lower levels of Coruscant."

Obi-Wan shook his head at the many memories he had of racing around the Temple trying to find his wayward student only to find that he had spirited himself away to race in some insanely dangerous competition. Though he could not deny the amount of contacts and informants his former Padawan had garnered through these unauthorized ventures.

Anakin grinned at Obi-Wan, sensing where his former master's thoughts were. "We also rescue each other from danger a lot."

Rick smiled at his brother then looked back at the Jedi. "So you guys have that going too, huh?" he commented seeing common ground between them and the adults. "Our dad says we attract trouble within a thousand kadams of our location at any time."

"Yes, and he has been proved right more times than I can count," Ardeth muttered, wondering what Suleimon's reaction would be to this latest adventure.

"Can we help it if the bad guys come to us?" Rick asked shrugging. "I mean, it's not like we go out looking for them....intentionally anyways."

"I think we ought to keep these two in the temple, if the attract that much trouble," Obi-Wan murmured, half-serious.

"Oh, please, no!" Rick groaned in dismay at the Master's suggestion. "No more protective custody!"

"Has your father locked you up to keep you safe?" Obi-Wan asked, confused.

"And everyone else," Rick muttered as he let his head fall back in exasperation at the idea. Then he turned to look at Ardeth. "But it never seems to help, does it?"

The younger boy shook his head. "No, it has not helped. Do you remember how we met?"

"Could I even forget? Those two thugs, chasing you up and down the streets! Stupid Neanderthals!"

The Jedi looked at the boys with curious expressions.

Ardeth laughed. "Several months ago, my father decided that it would be wise for me to visit a city other than home. So he sent me with two warriors of the tribe to Cairo. Because of the Red Guards, I was separated from the tribesmen. Then I was attacked by someone who does not like the Med-jai. Rick saved me from him and another man."

"That had to have been quite an adventure," Anakin commented.

"Oh, you have no clue," Rick assured him. "That was just the start of it!"

"I am glad for that thug, though. Without him, we would have never met."

Rick smiled over at his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Me too." After thinking about Ardeth's words, Rick shook his head. Looking back, he had never considered what would have happened if he had not run into Ardeth that day. The idea was so foreign a concept, and he discarded it after a while, glad that had not been the case.

"It looks like your class is getting ready to go, Rick," Anakin told the boy.

Rick looked over and saw his classmates clearing out to head back for more studies. Rick rose and clapped his brother on the back. "Have fun, Ardeth. You'll have to tell me all about it when we get back," he said with an encouraging smile.

"I will. Do well, my brother." Ardeth watched Rick walk off, fighting back the urge to send a protection spell over his brother.

"I will," he called back as he ran off to join his class.

Anakin looked at his charge. "If you're finished, we'd better get going too."

The boy nodded. "I am ready," he said, quietly.

"Then let's go." Anakin rose and bid Obi-Wan farewell. The Master wished Ardeth luck though Skywalker could tell by the look in his eyes that he was also silently wishing him luck as well. Then Anakin led the Med-jai away. They plodded down the halls, eventually coming to a small landing platform where a two-seated hovercar stood ready.

Ardeth's shoulders tensed. "Where are we going?" he asked, not relishing the idea of leaving the ground.

The Jedi walked over to the hovercar and pressed a button on the side panel that caused the canopy to slide back giving him access to the cockpit. He had apparently missed the boy's apprehensive tone. "This is one of the many types of vehicles that are used to get around Coruscant. If you end up being here for a long time, there may be a point when you will need to use one. I'm going to teach you how to fly it," Anakin explained.

"Flying is unnatural," Ardeth's voice was quiet, but he obediently walked forward when gestured to. "I do not believe I will be good at this," he warned Anakin, ruthlessly burying his fear.

Anakin looked at Ardeth confused at the boy's statement. Flying was like breathing for him. He couldn't imagine, didn't want to imagine, not being able to fly. Aside from his wife, it was the only thing that never failed to bring him pleasure and he didn't know if he would be willing to continue living if he couldn't fly. Because of this, he couldn't even begin to comprehend anyone having an aversion to it. "Why do you say that?"

"The first time I flew anywhere was after Rick and I were kidnapped, tortured, and broken by some evil people. That was only a month ago."

Anakin's face darkened. "I'm sorry," he breathed. While he still could not comprehend not flying, he could certainly understand Ardeth's hesitance now. After a moment, the Jedi Knight pressed the button on the car again, resealing the canopy. "There's always public transportation," he said. Though he had been looking forward to this part of Ardeth's training, flying lessons could wait. He walked back leading the boy back into the Temple again. "Though I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice when it comes to missions, unless it's here on Coruscant," he informed the boy apologetically.

"I will learn eventually, but for right now, the memory is too fresh," Ardeth was pushing back nausea as his mind flashed through his scattered recollections of the plane ride. He had been too full of drugs, and hurting to do more than try to stay conscious enough to reassure Rick.

"You two seem to have been through a lot," Anakin observed sadly.

"That is the price paid for being a Med-jai. We protect the rest of humanity from the evil all around, but there is no one to protect us."

Anakin sighed empathetically. "It's the same for us. So if I may ask what happened with the Goa'uld you mentioned earlier?" he asked now that Rick wasn't around to be made uncomfortable by his question.

"During that same time, the people who kidnapped us used a device to read my mind and discover the location to one of the areas the Med-jai protect. Rick and I managed to lead them astray to a lesser area, but there were some Goa'uld symbiotes sealed in jars there. In the fight to recapture us, one of the jars was broken and Rick was possessed by the creature." Ardeth explained, voice quiet. "We were in the future at that time, and some of our allies were able to get it out of him, but he still retains all of its memories, and the horrible things that it did, and what it tried to do using him."

Anakin nodded solemnly. No wonder Rick had remained silent about it. "No wonder you both hate them now," Anakin murmured. "I can't say I blame you." He knew that if he were in their position, he would feel the same way.

"Father tries to protect us, but he is right—we do attract trouble. That is why we were home—he was trying to keep us safe for a few months until our next turn with the Duty, to help us recover."

Anakin nodded. "Obi-Wan used to say the same thing about me. Heh, he still says the same thing about me. At least you teleported here instead of some other world. Almost every other world is in heated battle right now. Here at least you’re safe." But even though he said so, half of him wasn't entirely sure that even the Jedi Temple was invulnerable.

Shaking his head, Ardeth tried to shake off his depressing memories. "Since I ruined your plans for this afternoon, what are we going to do now?"

Anakin thought, unsure. "Well, there are no more required lessons for the day. We could go to the map room and see if we can find your home planet, or we could go to the archives. There are any number of databases there that you could look at. Or I could show you the Room of a Thousand Fountains," he said listing off the possibilities.

"Could we visit the Room of a Thousand Fountains? That sounds similar to home," Ardeth requested.

"Sure," Anakin said with a warm smile. This room had always been one of his favorites of all the rooms in the Temple. Mostly because it reminded him of Padmé and her homeworld. Once they reached the room Anakin stepped aside to let Ardeth enter the doorway first, watching his reaction to the breath-taking sight.

Stepping into the room, Ardeth's eyes widened. "It feels like Kiriyah Gan," he murmured, studying the paths that wandered through the greenery. The fresh scent of water filled the air, and there were streams and pools and waterfalls everywhere.

Anakin smiled contentedly as he too entered the room. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he commented as he began walking towards one of the paths.

"It is. There is great peace here." Ardeth followed Anakin, fully relaxed for the first time since he had arrived in this place.

"There is. Many of the Jedi in our Order choose to use this room when they meditate. It's a good escape from the chaos outside these walls."

"A place to recover from the Duty so that it will not drain you dry, so that you will be able to stand always between the world and the evils that seek to prey on it," Ardeth recited part of the purpose of Kiriyah Gan, thinking it fit this room just as well as it did the Med-jai home.

Nodding, Anakin smiled. Obviously, this was a concept the boy understood well. "There certainly is the need to recover from all the stress pulling at us. When I was talking to Chancellor Palpatine the other day he looked so worn. I suggested maybe it would do him some good to come here. He wanted to but of course he has so much to do that he doesn't have time to spare for the visit," Anakin said sadly. He was worried about how tired his friend was becoming. Pain tore at his heart to know there was little to nothing he could do to alleviate that burden.

"Who is Chancellor Palpatine?" Ardeth asked, stopping by a pool and watching the fish swimming in it.

"Oh, yeah," Anakin shook his head reminding himself that this boy had never heard of him. "Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is the head of the Republic. He's also a very close friend. He's been like a father to me since I came to Coruscant with Obi-Wan and his master when I was nine. Recently he's been overwhelmed by work because of this accursed war. With the Separatists dividing the galaxy, he's been forced to take on countless more responsibilities than his position normally entails. Everyone's always clamoring at him for an answer to their problems, and he has to make crucial decisions at the drop of a hat. Everyone's counting on him to do the right thing and he's trying so hard to live up to their expectations. But it's all draining him so much."

"Does he not have a Council of Elders, or Chieftains under him that he can delegate to? My father does not try to command the twelve tribes all by himself because that would be too much, and that is only for several thousand people. I cannot imagine being in charge of this entire galaxy."

The man shrugged as he leaned against a tree, looking out at the sparkling waters of the pools nearby. “Well, there’s the Senate, but with the war going on he doesn’t know who he can trust. Almost all the senators are corrupt. There’s only a few we know are on his side. He keeps getting pushed to take on more power, but it’s just until the war is over.”

Ardeth’s eyes narrowed a little. “Does he accept this power that is being ‘pushed’ on him? Exactly how much authority does he have?”

Anakin bristled slightly. This was not the first time he had heard this question asked with this tone. "He has to," he answered defensively. "He has a great deal of authority, but it's only been given to him so we can bring a more decisive end to this conflict instead of being mired down by pointless debates." He didn't like the fact that this boy seemed to be challenging Palpatine's character. Anakin was supremely loyal to his friends, and he had heard too many people around him suspecting the man's motives, especially within the Jedi Council.

"I can understand wanting to end conflict, but it is a dangerous thing for any one person to have a great deal of power. The nature of power is to corrupt. As a Med-jai, I have seen it over and over again—surely you have seen it before yourself."

Anakin whirled on the boy. "Chancellor Palpatine is a good man! He knows as I do that if we left it to the Senate, this war would never end! He doesn't want this power, believe me! You should see him halfway through the day. He's so exhausted, he looks like another dispute alone could end his life! You can't judge someone you don't know!" With that Anakin turned and stormed away, boiling. Ardeth was beginning to sound like Master Windu. Skywalker shook his head in anger and frustration. Everyone seemed immediately ready to blame Palpatine for the situation, when the dear old man was doing everything he could with his limited abilities to solve the crisis. He left the boy in his dark wake to find his way back on his own.


	7. Chapter 7

Ardeth stared after Anakin, before sighing heavily and dropping to sit next to a small pool of water. He had no idea why his words had made Anakin so upset, but he would not apologize for speaking the truth.

Rick said good-bye to his classmates and hurried through the hallways of the Temple. He latched onto the bond between him and Ardeth, trying to track the young prince down. He could feel his brother was hurting, so he closed his eyes for a second trying to let their connection lead him to where he was. He was so focused on finding him that he didn't even notice the beauty of the room around him as raced along a garden path through the Room of a Thousand Fountains. After a moment or two, he saw Ardeth sitting beside a pool into which a waterfall fell. His back was to him, proud shoulders slumped slightly. Rick frowned and walked up quietly behind his brother, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Jerking at the unexpected touch, Ardeth twisted to look up. He relaxed when he saw Rick. 'My brother, what are you doing here? I thought you had classes,' the younger boy spoke through their bond, turning back to gaze at the pool of water he was sitting next to.

'They're done for the day,' he replied. Rick sat down next to his brother on the bench. His brow knit worriedly. 'Are you alright?'

'I am not injured, but I upset Anakin greatly, and I do not understand why.' Ardeth turned slightly and caught Rick's eye, sharing his memory of what had happened.

Rick took a second to process the memory, resting his hand comfortingly on his brother's shoulder. Rick couldn't understand quite either. He did see something familiar in Anakin's actions, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. 'I'm sorry,' he said gently, frustration burning in him at the man's moodiness. Everything had seemed to be going so well earlier. The man was as unpredictable as the desert! 'Why does he have to give you such a hard time for his own problems? Can't he see you're not doing anything wrong?' he said, his own tone similar to Anakin's without realizing it.

'You sound like him when you say that,' Ardeth told him, and smiled at Rick. 'Tomorrow may well be an interesting day.'

Rick raised his eyebrow at the comparison, but then he tilted his head wondering. 'Maybe he's as protective of this guy as I am of you.' He thought for a second then turned towards his brother. 'Think about it, if someone was questioning Dad, wouldn't you stick up for him? ... Well, obviously you'd be a little more diplomatic with your answer.'

Ardeth laughed at that. ‘I certainly hope I would be more diplomatic! Otherwise, I do not know what Father's reaction would be. But yes, that does seem to fit.'

Rick gave his brother's shoulder a squeeze wishing he could do something to erase the bad part of his day. Then after a second, the waterfall caught his attention, and he began to look around finally realizing where he was. 'Whoa!' The only thing that told him that they hadn't somehow mysteriously managed to transport back home to Kiriyah Gan was a small droid that was floating around tending to the various plants that filled the chamber.

'I know, it does look and feel very much like home, does it not? He said it is called the Room of a Thousand Fountains,'

Rick cast about in wonder, nodding in agreement. 'I think we'll be spending a lot of time in this room,' he commented.

'I certainly plan to. How did your classes go?' Ardeth asked, letting go of his frustration at Anakin and focusing on his twin.

'They were good,' Rick said, looking at his brother excitedly. 'We went to this room that I think we could use trying to get home. It was domed and stars floated all around us. All we had to do was reach out and touch a planet and a computer would begin to explain the planet, what people live there, the world's political structure, creatures, level of technology, you name it! Course I didn't understand half of it, but it was cool!"

'That does sound interesting. Anakin was going to teach me how to fly, but I was not able to handle that just yet.'

Rick grimaced. '....Yeah,' he said slowly. 'That wouldn't be fun.' He shook his head. He knew his brother like flying about as much as he liked needles, with or without the painful memories attached to it. 'How did he react to that?' Rick was concerned that maybe that had made Anakin impatient and snap at his brother. If that were the case, he would swallow how uncomfortable their past experiences were for him and explain the situation to the Jedi so that he wouldn't be so short with Ardeth.

'I explained why, and I think he understood a little. He didn't get upset about it, but he did say that it would be important to learn eventually.'

Rick nodded, glad that his reaction hadn't been impatient. The artificial sky in the room was darkening as if the sun was setting, drawing the boy's attention to the time. 'Maybe we should get some dinner,' Rick suggested, hoping that maybe that would help to cheer his brother up.

'Of course. Let us go get food, my brother,' Ardeth stood, and offered a hand to Rick.

Rick took it rising to his feet. The two brothers walked side by side down the path off to dinner.

˜–˜–˜–˜–˜–

The next few days went much the same as that one had. Anakin continued to struggle with his patience as he continued to instruct Ardeth, but despite his efforts he always seemed to snap at the boy over things the man knew were trivial. Rick was starting to get fed up with how poorly Anakin treated Ardeth and spent every moment he could between them, almost daring Anakin to cause a problem while he was there, so he could tell him what he thought of him.

‘Hey buddy!’ Rick called out to his brother as he raced up to him and Anakin. His lessons were through for the day since their teacher had been called away at the last minute to go on an urgent mission for the Jedi Council. By the next day the Masters would have another Jedi take the Galacian's place, but for now, Rick had the rest of the day off.

Startled, Ardeth glanced up from the blaster he was learning how to take apart and reassemble. 'Rick? Why aren't you in classes?' Ardeth asked, his sudden stillness catching Anakin's attention.

'Master Darnia was called away to go on a mission, so classes are over for the day. Master Obi-Wan told me where you two were and said I could hang out with you guys since he was busy,' he said as he approached. 'How is it going?' he asked without looking at Skywalker, his meaning clear to his brother.

'So far today, there have been no problems to speak of,' Ardeth said and looked up at Anakin. "Is it all right if Rick joins us? His afternoon classes were cancelled."

Anakin looked over at O'Connell. Though the boy's face was impassive, he could sense how Rick felt towards him. In some ways, it sparked his anger, and yet in others, he could understand how protective he was of Ardeth. He sighed slightly but nodded his consent. Rick nodded his thanks just as silently and sat beside his brother. He would have sat between them, but he didn't want to provoke Anakin by impeding them from finishing the project they were working on. But he watched cautiously, ready to step in if Skywalker went off.

This was a project that Ardeth had proven good at. He was used to taking apart and reassembling weapons and was able to complete this task faster than Anakin expected. He surprised the man, because he went into his usual routine for handling a new weapon—he took it apart and reassembled it three times, and then on the fourth time, he did it with his eyes closed.

Anakin shook his head, wondering if this boy truly needed a teacher as the Council seemed to think. Rick was clapping his brother on the back in a congratulatory way as the Knight felt rather than heard Rick's approval pass to his brother. They were speaking through their bond again.

Anakin raised his eyebrows. "Well, so much for that lesson." He approved of the boys progress, but now he run out of things for them to do. Anakin sat still for a second, then an idea came to him. He and Ardeth had had a few arguments that week about how the Chancellor seemed to have too much power, but he was certain that the boy would change his mind once he met Palpatine and saw what a good man he truly was. He was due to meet with the Chancellor later today to report to him about the Jedi's concerted war efforts, but he had always encouraged Anakin to come to him when ever he felt like it. Skywalker smiled. That was just like Palpatine, to keep his doors open to him. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for the young Jedi Knight. Anakin looked at the two boys. "Follow me," he said, a small smile on his face.

'I wonder where we're going,' Ardeth said, putting the blaster into the bin of completed projects he had done.

Rick looked at his brother, shaking his head and shrugging. It was much to their surprise when Anakin led them out of the Temple. Anakin would normally have used a hovercar for transportation but followed along a set of walkways for Rick’s and Ardeth's sakes. To this point, Rick had never been outside of the Jedi Temple. He'd seen the wonder of Coruscant from the windows, but it was so different being out in the heart of it. It took him a little while to get used to the many loud sounds and voices that clamored about them. Never in Cairo, even on its busiest day, had he seen so many people in his life.

Many of the people nodded respectfully to Anakin, recognizing him from the many holovids of the war. Ardeth stayed close behind the Jedi, uncomfortable with the crowds. He was used to the quiet of the desert and of Kiriyah Gan.

'Kind of makes Cairo look like a remote outpost doesn't it?' Rick commented as they walked behind Anakin towards a huge mushroom-shaped building.

'It does. I cannot imagine why anyone would choose to live in such a place.' Both boys were allowed through security on Anakin's word.

Rick chuckled at Ardeth's statement, though even he was overwhelmed by this world. He still couldn't believe that the city covered the face of the entire planet. Even more astounding was the fact that the surface of the planet proper had not been seen or visited for millennia.

After leading them down a series of hallways in this building, Anakin stopped outside a door and turned to the boys. "There is someone I want you to meet."

"What is this place?" Ardeth asked, shifting his stance just slightly. On the edge of his senses, he could feel a danger, a sense of evil like that which permeated the air around the sacred areas.

"This is the Senate building," Anakin explained, not noticing the boy's discomfort. "On the other side of this door is Chancellor Palpatine's office. I want you both to meet the man who leads the Republic. You will see, he is a good and honest man." Anakin beamed proudly to speak of the man he felt was his mentor as much as Obi-Wan was.

Rick was also shifting uncomfortably at the distressingly familiar feeling, though he found it difficult to locate the source. It seemed to hang in the air, choking them.

Ardeth forced down his uneasiness and managed a strained smile for the man. "What he means to say is that you must be on your best behavior, Rick," he spoke lightly, trying to dispel the tension they shared.

Rick was still unnerved, but he chuckled at his brother's statement. "Why do you look at me when you say that?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Aren't I always?"

"Oh, my brother, I am just remembering your first encounter with the Council of Elders after Father adopted you."

"Hey they accused me of being a trouble-maker! It was a matter of honor!"

"Ardeth is right though," Anakin warned gently, even though there was an amused smile on his face.

Rick sighed in resignation and nodded his complicity. Anakin pressed a button on a panel in the door frame, alerting Chancellor Palpatine there was someone at his door.

"Come in," a slightly tired voice came through the intercom. The door opened for them, giving them access to the room. The boys followed Anakin inside.

All of Ardeth's desert-trained senses were clamoring for him to draw his blade and attack, or to escape the danger. Instead, he bowed his head in greeting to the man in charge of the galaxy. He was unable to bring himself to bow, since that would mean exposing his neck.

The man sitting on the other side of the desk, upon seeing Anakin, greeted the party warmly. He seemed overjoyed to see Skywalker and rose to embrace the young man. Anakin returned the embrace, though he was sad to see the lines of worry that now permanently adorned the man's once proud face.

Rick upon seeing the Chancellor froze and had to use every ounce of concentration to keep his face from betraying the fear he felt at the darkness emanating from this man, if man he truly was. After a second, he forced himself forward, but found he could not even acknowledge the man's warm words of welcome as Ardeth had.

Dropping back a step, Ardeth rested a hand on Rick's arm, trying to orient the older boy. "Thank you for seeing us. Anakin has told us much about you," Ardeth forced out the diplomatic drivel, every muscle tight and ready for action.

With Ardeth's help, Rick composed himself a little better, hoping that Palpatine hadn't noticed it.

But he had, though he never gave any indication. He smiled, affectionately it would seem down on the two boys. "Of course. Any friend of Anakin's is more than welcome here. I have also heard much about the two of you. I want to wish you both the best of luck in finding your way home." To anyone else, his concern would have seemed almost genuine. Anakin nodded and looked at Ardeth hoping the boy could see that Palpatine was one of the few politicians in the galaxy that actually cared about his people.

Though Palpatine's mask of deception gave no hint of it, he suspected that the Med-jai could see him for what he truly was. As soon as his network of willing and unwitting informants had given him news about the two new wayward prodigies at the Jedi Temple, he had been curious to see them. He had carefully, subtly hinted to Anakin that they should be introduced. For the Sith Lord secretly meant to evaluate them as possible replacements for Skywalker in his plans. But now the creature wondered if it were unwise to see them. He could see suspicion behind their eyes. They knew. He couldn't tell how, but somehow, they knew what he truly was.

Ardeth met Palpatine's eyes without flinching, and a slight smile with no warmth touched his face. This man was strong, very strong, and somehow he had everyone fooled. The boy wondered what it would take to reveal the creature for what he was.

A silent battle of wills ensued like a cold war that only Anakin was oblivious to. The conversation was light and pleasantries were exchanged as the tension mounted.

"So how have you been doing recently?" Anakin asked, concern in his tone.

Palpatine sighed wearily as he collapsed into the chair behind his desk. "The Separatists are striking us hard, and we have very limited resources as they continue to capture worlds and ships along our supply lines. General Grievous is ruthlessly clever. I'm at my wit's end. And the problems keep mounting." He rubbed his tired eyes.

Anakin looked down at his friend with sympathy. "You'll get us through. I have every confidence in you, Chancellor. If anyone can save the Republic, it's you."

Ardeth raised an eyebrow. "Your assassins have not been able to capture or kill this General Grievous?"

"No," Palpatine shook his head. "He has proved incredibly elusive." Then he looked over at Anakin, "But I have no doubt that if the Council were to send you to investigate, you would be able to catch him in a few days time." His voice was almost that of a proud father wanting to show off his son's abilities.

Anakin sighed. "The Council has said they need me here for the time being." His voice betrayed a little more frustration than he had intended. He agreed with Palpatine, though he was hesitant to openly undermine the Council's wisdom and authority by openly admitting it.

'I think Palpatine could flatter Anakin a little more if he tried,' Ardeth's mind voice was dry as he spoke to Rick.

'He's manipulating him!' Rick thought accusingly. 'No wonder Anakin is so protective of this jerk! He has him wrapped around his little finger! How can he not see who he is?'

Palpatine had to keep his head from whipping around as he felt the boys' thoughts pass back and forth to each other. He couldn't let anyone know he could even sense it. But his mind pondered over this. The Force was incredibly strong with them. Especially the dark-haired boy. He may one day rival even Anakin's power. But he would be too dangerous to keep alive. He could not allow the boys to tell any of the Jedi what he really was.

"Boys, if you would excuse us," his voice was convincingly polite, at least it was to Anakin, "I need to speak to Anakin in private for a moment."

Ardeth dipped his head. "Thank you for your time. Anakin, will I see you tomorrow for lessons at the usual time?"

Anakin nodded. "I will see you tomorrow, Ardeth. May the Force be with you."

Rick was only too glad for this dismissal wanting to get as far away from this man as soon as possible. He nodded only slightly as he followed his brother out the door.

Sidious watched the two of them retreat. These boys could interfere with his plans. If they Jedi found out too soon who he really was, they might move before he was ready. Yes, he thought darkly, they will have to be eliminated. But not before they provide a useful service to me.

Anakin chuckled as the two left. "You'll have to forgive Rick. He doesn't have the diplomacy skills his brother has."

Palpatine turned his attention back to Anakin and smiled at the young Jedi. "Both boys are just as you described them to me. You are right, Ardeth does seem rather arrogant."

Anakin looked down slightly. "The more I've been talking with him the more I've come to think that it was probably just a misunderstanding," he explained uncertain of his initial assessment of the boy.

"Well, you would know him better than I would. Now, have a seat and let us talk." Palpatine sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, opting to keep as close to his unwitting pupil as possible.

˜–˜–˜–˜–˜–

Ardeth led the way out of the senate building, prickles down his spine warning of the danger he had left behind.

Rick's breathing was a little uneven as he looked back at the Senate building. 'Okay, I take it back. There are worse things than the creature and the goa'uld,' he said as he tried to regain his breath now that they were away from the suffocating atmosphere of Palpatine's office. He tried to tamp down the surge of adrenaline rushing through his system, as they walked along a level that connected down to a landing platform for a number of the many hovercars that swarmed around the capitol.

'That man is truly evil. I wonder how Anakin and the other Jedi are not able to sense it? We have to do something, or he will keep accumulating power until he is impossible to stop.' Ardeth's brow furrowed as he looked around, sensing something wrong.

Suddenly there was an explosion on the platform below. People began to run away from one of the transports screaming. Rick exchanged a glance with Ardeth grabbing his lightsaber and running down to find out what was going on.

The two boys burst onto a scene of mass confusion. A transport engine had exploded, and it was starting to fall away from the docking platform, with people still on it. 'Rick, start at the front, get people onto the platform any way you can! I'll take the back.' Ardeth snapped the orders through the bond, jumping the slight distance to the transport.

Rick moved quickly, knowing time was of the essence. He moved to the front of the transport. The doors were sealed shut and many of the helpless occupants pressed against it. He quickly ignited his lightsaber, calling for the passengers to move back. Once the door was clear, he cut through the entrance, creating an escape hatch. He was almost trampled as the panicked people crowded through the makeshift door.

Ardeth found that the back of the transport was composed of private rooms for more important people. Most of the doors were jammed closed, so he opened each one with his lightsaber and sent the trapped people off. In the last cabin, the one closest to the engine that had exploded, he found a lady trying to drag an unconscious guard to the door. The boy sheathed his saber and hurried forward to help her.

'Rick, is the front clear yet? ' Ardeth called through the bond, struggling to lift the man.

'All clear,' he groaned picking himself off the ground. He wiped the blood from his face that trickled down from a small cut he'd garnered from being thrown to the duracrete platform by the terrified passengers. Moving quickly, he ran to see if he could help Ardeth.

'We are in the last cabin, hurry! This ship will not stay up for much longer, and I think there is a fire in the other engine.' Ardeth finally managed to get the man over his shoulder, and started staggering toward the door. "Go! Get out! My twin is coming to help me!" he yelled at the lady.

She hesitated. Normally, she would have refused to leave her friend's side, but since she was pregnant, to do so would be gambling with not only her own life, but with that of her unborn child. With a last glance she began to move as quickly as she could out of the transport.

Rick almost ran headlong into her as he was running to the back to help Ardeth. He barely caught himself moving out of her way so she could escape, then continuing back to help Ardeth. He saw his brother struggling to support the man's weight and grabbed the man's other arm. Rick's eyes widened as he noticed the fires were beginning to spread. They didn't have much time.

Once Rick was helping him carry the man, Ardeth threw a strength spell over both of them. 'Let's get out of here!' the boy said, coughing hard from the smoke he had inhaled.

Rick and Ardeth were able to move more quickly now due to Ardeth's spell. Sweat was pouring down the brows of both boys as they moved through the flames. Just as they reached the door of the transport, the second engine blew, incinerating the back of the transport. The force of the blow threw all three of them, propelling them through the door to land roughly on the platform, just as the transport dislodged from the docking platform.

Gasping for breath between coughs, Ardeth mustered enough energy to sit up and cast a spell to put out the fires nearest them. He didn't have the energy to deal with any of the larger flames, though.

Soon, the emergency medical and fire control crews made it to the platform and began to deal with the wreckage and the frightened people that had escaped the transport. After Rick and Ardeth surrendered the man they were carrying to a team of medics, the older boy checked on his brother. 'You okay?' he asked through their bond.

'Yes, I just inhaled a lot of smoke. How bad is your cut?' Ardeth asked, sitting on a bench to catch his breath and recover from the adrenaline rush.

'Ah,' he scoffed waving his hand dismissively as he sat down next to Ardeth, 'It's nothing.'

As they sat there recovering from the shock of the situation, a woman moved over from the crowds of on-lookers to stand in front of the two boys. It was the woman Ardeth had found with her guard in the transport a short while ago. She smiled gently down at the boys. "That was a very brave thing you did. I just wanted to come over here and thank you two."

Ardeth smiled up at her. "No need to thank us, ma'am. We were just doing what was right." Pausing, Ardeth turned to glance toward the walkway—he could sense Anakin running towards then, and the Jedi felt panicked.

Rick also sensed it looking in the same direction.

Anakin had felt it a moment before the first explosion happened. He had burst from Palpatine's office without excusing himself, the man calling after him not understanding what was going on. By the time he reached the railing on the catwalk above the platform, the second engine blew. He had stood for a second, horrified, unable to breathe. Padmé was due in on that transport for a special meeting of the Senate. He ran down to the platform, coming around the bend and into sight of the two Jedi. Rick started at the look of dread on the young man's face. As Anakin silently searched the crowd of survivors, he saw Padmé standing before the two Med-jai. Alive and unharmed. And he could still sense the life with in her. Their child was safe too. He walked over to her, desperate to take her up in his arms, to hold her close, but he knew he could not because of how many people were around them.

Ardeth's eyes flicked between Anakin and Padmé, and he remembered the picture of the lady he had seen in Anakin's mind when the man had tested them. He could feel the bond between the two of them, and a thin, newly forming bond between the babies Padmé was carrying and Anakin. His eyes widened.

Rick felt the bond too, looking up at the Jedi Knight as he approached. Anakin could only see Padmé though, and she could see only him. The stopped just short of each other, obviously pretending as if they were merely acquaintances.

"I am glad to see you are safe, Senator," Anakin said, though his voice held the barest tremor of fear and relief.

Padmé smiled cordially at Skywalker. "I am, thank you. It was quite a close call. I owe it all to these two apprentices," she waved a hand at the Med-jai, assuming since they wore Jedi tunics that they were Jedi in training.

Anakin's eyes fell down on the boys in surprise. "Well done, Ardeth, Rick," he said quietly. But as he looked into their eyes, he could see that they knew the truth. They had discovered the secret he had guarded so closely for so long. Fear began to take hold of him.

"Some rules should never have been made or accepted. Rick and I hold to the old Code. Your secret is safe with us." Ardeth said, voice low enough that only Rick, Anakin and Padmé could hear.

Anakin looked at the boy, unsure for a second. But seeing that he was not lying, Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. Not even Palpatine knew of their secret marriage, and after all this time, it did feel good to have someone to share this secret with. "Thank you," Anakin murmured. He turned to his wife and subtly brushed some of her stray hair out of her face. The touch reassured them both, but it was all they could afford since they were both still out in public. In a tone that only the four of them could hear Anakin spoke, "Padmé, I would like to introduce you to Ardeth Bay and Rick O'Connell. Rick, Ardeth, this is Senator Padmé Amidala, my wife."

Ardeth bowed formally to Padmé. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Senator Amidala." He nudged Rick when the other boy didn't move.

Rick bowed formally, rubbing the area where his brother's elbow had landed throwing a bit of a glare at Ardeth. 'You know you don't have to dig so hard,' he commented through their bond, as Anakin was explaining to Padmé how the two boys came to be at the temple and how he was training Ardeth.

'It is good for you, my brother,' Ardeth said, trying to hide a grin. 'Besides, it ought to help you to remember your manners next time.'

'My manners are just fine thank you,' he threw back in denial. Anakin could tell they were bantering again as he turned back to look at the pair.

Ardeth smiled at the man, somewhat more relaxed around him. "I think you should escort the senator to her next appointment. Her guard was injured in the explosion," the boy suggested. "After all, that would be the right thing to do."

Anakin smiled at the suggestion, nodding his thanks to the prince. He bowed to Ardeth and Rick in parting, not the short curt one he usually gave to the boys, but one evident of gratitude and respect. Rick smiled as he watched the couple walk away, then turned to look at his brother. Neither boys noticed a man watching the entire scene speak for a brief moment into a commlink and then disappear in the crowds.

'Well, that was certainly an adventure. Let us return to the temple. I want to get the smell of smoke out of my clothing and hair!'

'No kidding! How was your second trip into a city?' his brother asked teasingly as the two began to head back to the Jedi Temple.

'Not quite as bad as the first. At least this time no one was trying specifically to kill or kidnap me,' Ardeth shook his head. 'I do not believe that I will ever like any cities other than Kiriyah Gan.'

'Here, here,' Rick said as he clapped his brother on the back. At that moment, a dart flew through the air, piercing Rick's neck. The boy gasped and fell to the ground.


	8. Chapter 8

'Rick!' Ardeth ducked immediately, throwing up the strongest protection spell he knew around his brother, and grabbed Rick, trying to pull him to the safety of a nearby building.

But a man emerged from the shadows around the building and fired his weapon at Ardeth, hurling paralyzing darts to rain down on the prince. He had waited to make his move until after the boys wandered in a secluded area. Now there were no witnesses, and he would have his prey.

The boy twisted, trying to dodge the darts, but one slipped through his defenses, catching his arm. He collapsed, banging his head as he fell. Bright lights burst before his eyes.

A blurred figure loomed up over the boys, and a gruff voice spoke into his commlink, "Yup, I got 'em."

Rick couldn't move from where he and Ardeth had fallen. He felt rough hands grab him and drag him for a distance. 'Ardeth!' he called through the bond. The man dragging him stopped and picked him up to put him on a hoversled used to cart cargo around.

'I cannot move, Rick. Can you?' Ardeth asked, when he finally was able to focus past the pain in his head.

'No, I can't,' Rick called to his brother. 'I think—' But his mind's voice was suddenly silenced with a thunking sound, as the man over Rick wrapped his thick fingers in his mousy hair and thrust his head down against the metal plating.

Ardeth closed his eyes and poured as much healing energy through the bond as he could. As the man picked him up, he kept his breathing even as though he was also unconscious. The boy wondered why they were being kidnapped and who had ordered it.

The man deposited the other boy on the sled next to his brother, covered them both with a tarp, then moved to drive it away since Ardeth was obviously out from the fall he took. The man drove the sled around the streets of Coruscant towards the Senate building.

As he lay under the tarp, Ardeth sorted through the spells he knew to neutralize poison, trying to think of one that would help the paralysis.

But the man who had taken them must not have had far to travel, because soon the sled came to a halt and the tarp was removed. The man had brought them to an abandoned room, deep in the lowermost sublevels of the Senate building, long forgotten by most of the residents in the world above. Personally, the bounty hunter hated this area, but this is where his employer had arranged to meet to pick up his merchandise.

"Are they both unconscious?" A gravelly, ugly voice demanded as the man appeared from some dark shadows. His black cloak hid his face.

"Yes they are as per your orders," the man replied in an uneasy voice. "What's the big idea arranging the pick up location under the Senate building? Do you have any idea what would happen if we got caught down here?"

"Oh, I don't think you should worry about that. Your payment is in your account. Put the boys in the back room and leave!"

The man shrugged, picking Rick up first and carting him off into the darkness. After a few seconds he came back for Ardeth. "Easiest money I've ever made," he muttered as he went. “They barely even put up a fight."

Ardeth sent a spell after the man that would bind him to obey the authorities. It was a powerful spell, meant to bind advisors so that they could not betray the Duty, and nearly drained the boy.

Before the man even reached the door, he clutched his stomach and fell to his knees. His face became starkly pale, and he began to tremble violently.

“What is wrong with you?” Palpatine demanded irritably. He wanted to get the boys arranged in the room before they woke up or the paralysis wore off.

The man shook his head, uncertain. He felt as if he were going to throw up. He reached for Ardeth, desperately trying to pull himself together, but, as his arm stretched out to grab the boy, he became dizzy to the point where his vision began to blur. He swayed on his feet, then fell to the ground before the sled.

Muttering under his breath about useless help, Palpatine kicked the man out of the way. He would have to do everything himself.

He used the Force to float the boy quickly into the back room and then disarm them. He chuckled, seeing the amount of weapons the Med-jai carried, moving them into a Force protected cabinet so that neither of the boys could summon them.

Feeling his weapons being taken away, Ardeth hoped that someone would be foolish enough to touch his scimitar. They would be in for a nasty surprise.

As soon as Sidious began to pull Beset from Ardeth's belt, he could feel the sword resisting. His brow furrowed as he tried again. As he did so, the sword sent a shockwave into the Chancellor, knocking him back a short distance. Becoming irritable now at how difficult this seemingly simple task was turning out to be, the Sith bent all his concentration onto moving the sword which slowly obeyed his command, loathing to leave her master unprotected, but helpless against the strength of the Sith Lord's Force mastery. Once Palpatine finally got it into the cabinet, he closed the door quickly and heard a clang as the sword tried to pull back to the prince before he sealed it in.

Now very frustrated, Palpatine was curious. How had the boy managed to make his weapon so difficult to remove? He turned his attention back to the boys, making certain they had no hidden weapons before strapping them in.

First he picked up Rick, who groaned groggily. The boy's face had dried blood trailing down from where the bounty hunter's blow had split his temple. The Sith lord placed the boy against the wall, using the Force to activate energy manacles to hold him pinned there. After a moment of examining him to make sure he wouldn't escape, he turned to the prince. He stopped just short of the boy, and an evil smile took his face. "So you are awake." His tone was sinister.

Deciding it would be useless to keep pretending, Ardeth opened his eyes and let his burning gaze meet Palpatine's.

Palpatine looked down at the boy. "Anakin tells me that you are quite skilled in the ways of the Force despite your limited training," he purred as if they were having a friendly conversation as he restrained Ardeth next to his brother.

Ardeth kept quiet and reached out to Rick through the bond, hoping his brother would wake up soon. The boy's dark eyes watched every move that Palpatine made.

At Ardeth's tugging at their bond, Rick pulled back into consciousness painfully. His vision was still slightly blurred from the blow he had sustained earlier. 'Ardeth!' he immediately called out to his twin, trying to see if he was alright.

'Be still, my brother,' Ardeth commanded, pushing a little more healing through the bond. 'I am not injured. We are under the Senate Building, and it was Palpatine who ordered us captured. He is here now.'

"Ah, both of you are awake now. Good," the man hissed. "That will make this so much more fun."

Rick's eye's narrowed as he glared at the blurry figure standing before them.

"I'd like to welcome you to my private chambers," Palpatine croaked raspily. "A place where no one will ever find you, not even the Jedi."

"Yeah, sure," Rick scoffed. "We've heard that one before."

Ardeth laughed. "Yes, we have heard it before." The boy let a cold smile touch his face. "You understand, Supreme Chancellor, that it is the people corrupted by evil who go after Med-jai are the ones to be destroyed first. After all, we have our duty to fulfill."

"Brave words," the Sith replied, unmoved by Ardeth's noble bearing, "words that I too have heard before. But I hope you don’t mind that I brought you down here. After all we have so many things to discuss. I couldn't have you running back to the Council to tell them my little secret. That would be most rude of you."

"As Med-jai, I declare you one of the threats against all living creatures. You shall be known as one of the creatures, to be destroyed at any cost. Rick O'Connell, do you witness my decree?"

"I will bear witness," Rick agreed, his tone dark.

Palpatine was not impressed however. "How quaint. Is there to be a warrant issued for my arrest? You should realize that I do not intend to let either of you live long enough to become a threat to me. The only reason you two are still breathing is because I feel you could provide me with useful information."

Ardeth raised an eyebrow. "You cannot wish information to visit the sacred areas since you are already evil. So what do you wish to know? How many ways we would like to kill you?"

Rick smiled in amusement at his brother's comment.

"You somehow ended up in the Council Chamber of the Jedi Temple, one of the most heavily guarded areas on Coruscant if not one of the most protected rooms in the entire galaxy. And you are going to tell me how you did it."

"Yeah, sure," Rick intoned sarcastically.

"Well, actually, we could tell him, my brother, since neither of us knows exactly how we managed it." Ardeth told the man, knowing that his statement would not be well received.

Palpatine's eyes narrowed slightly. "You'll make this easier on yourselves if you give me what I want. The spell in exchange for a quick and merciful death." His face showed the dark torments he had in store for the boys. He knew he didn't have to speak aloud for them to know the consequences of defying him.

Ardeth glanced over at Rick. 'Would you like to tell him our opinion of his offer?'

"Delighted," Rick nodded to his brother as if he were bequeathing him a courtesy. Then he turned to Palpatine speaking with mock-diplomacy. "Eat scarabs."

Ardeth snickered, and both boys watched in fascination as Palpatine's face changed color in rage.

"You should wear that color more often. It suits you," Rick commented without even thinking.

At this, Palpatine's hand flew through the air to try to back-hand the boy for his impudence.

Instead, Palpatine's hand curved through the air in an arc around that slammed into the wall. Ardeth smiled in grim satisfaction.

Rick seemed just as surprised but smiled mockingly at the Sith. "Go on, try it again!"

Palpatine pulled back though and examined the boys, trying to look as though he were plotting something incredibly evil for them, when he was actually trying to figure out what had just happened. He turned to look over at Ardeth wondering if the same thing would happen with him.

Rick called out again challengingly trying to keep Sidious' attention on him. “Come on! You missed me! Really, it can’t be that difficult!

Furious, the Sith tried to use Force-lightning on Rick, but again, it curved around the boy, frying the rock on either side of him.

Palpatine tilted his head, deep in thought. There was something protecting this boy. He had never seen magic like this used through the Force. He paced before them slowly, maintaining an air of control as his piercing eyes rested on the two of them. Time to change tactics, at least until their protection wore off. And then, he would show no mercy. "You are both such a long way from home. Far from friends and family. By what foolish reasoning do you even hope you could ever return?"

'Well, there was the fact that we saw our future selves,' Ardeth murmured to Rick through the bond. "We know that our father will not give up looking for us, and if we cannot find a way back home, I am certain he will find a way to rescue us."

"And even if he manages to make it to this galaxy, or this planet among so many, what makes you think that your father will be able to find you on such a vast world. And even so would he find you in time to salvage what will be left of your broken bodies and shattered minds?"

"Our Dad would impress you with the things he is able to do," Rick retorted.

"Yes, Father is able to do many things. And it will not take him long to find us. Besides, he will not be the only one searching for us." Ardeth closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to focus past his headache. He had used up most of his magical energy between the healing spells, the protection spell on Rick, and the spell he had cast on the man that had snatched them.

"Oh spare me," Palpatine rolled his eyes. "You think that if I do not fear the Jedi, that I am going to fear your pitiful little band of soldiers.

Rick tilted his head, looking at the man with a sly grin. "But you do fear them. If you didn't fear the Jedi, it wouldn't matter if we told them what you are or not. And yet here we are." The boy's piercing blue eyes locked onto the man knowingly. "Yes, you do fear them."

Palpatine growled in frustration. He wanted to strike the boy, but didn't want to chance their strange magic still being in effect.

"What's the matter?" Rick asked tauntingly, enjoying the protection while he could. "Did I hit a little too close to home?"

"You are just making things worse for yourself in the long run, boy. Your protection will not last forever, and when it ends, it will not take me long to make you scream!"

"Again, heard it. If you're going to threaten us, at least come up with something a little more original." Though Rick knew he would probably end up regretting those words later if the Jedi were not able to find them quickly.

'Rick, be still for now. The protection I put on you will only last for another few hours, and I will not have the energy to cast it again for a while,' Ardeth told him through the bond.

Rick reigned himself back in. Sidious looked darkly at the boy. "Very well, though I imagine you've heard this one before as well. If either of you show me insolence or refuse to give me the information I seek, the other will suffer." Here, he looked pointedly at Ardeth. Rick's eyes widened, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest. As Palpatine turned to look at him again he fixed him with a dark scowl. The boy said nothing and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Ardeth met Palpatine's eyes steadily. 'Be calm, Rick. Be strong,'

'Must they always use this tactic?' Rick's mind raged.

"Well?" Palpatine hissed at the boy, eyes glinting.

"I can't tell you what I don't know," Rick said, meeting his gaze with fear in his eyes.

Palpatine's smile was awful to see. Both boys could see the decay of his body beginning to reflect the decay of his soul. "I hoped you would go the hard way."

Rick's face paled to hear his words. "No! Leave him alone! It was my spell! I'm the one withholding information from you! Punish me!" he pleaded, throwing himself against his restraints which burned his wrists badly.

'Rick, stop it!' Ardeth thrust all the calm he didn't feel through the bond and caught sharply at Rick's mind. 'Please my brother, be calm and strong, for me. He is evil—he thrives on panic, on anger and fear! We have to deny him that as much as we can.'

Rick's eyes were still wide and panicked, but he tried with all his might to keep his mouth shut as Sidious stepped closer to the Med-jai prince, bringing his will to bear on the young mind. He began to use the Force to try and tug the information from him, like a Force version of truth serum.

Ardeth met Sidious' gaze. "My mind is protected from that sort of attack, creature!" the boy spat, shoving all of the secrets he knew into the palace meeting place the boys had halfway through their bond. No one but the twins would be able to reach the secrets there. After Suleimon heard of how the location of Hamunaptra had been wrenched from Ardeth's mind, he had worked with the boys to teach them to defend their minds from any assaults of that nature again.

"Well then," Sidious said pleasantly as if Ardeth had given him some friendly advice, "I shall have to try harder then, won't I?" With a small motion of his hand, the manacles deactivated, and Ardeth was thrown across the room roughly until he hovered over this pedestal in the center of the chamber. Energy manacles that floated in place appeared around his wrists and ankles. The prince almost looked as if he were a trophy on display, Rick thought. But then his heart stopped as he saw Sidious, circling the boy, igniting a lightwhip. The Sith Lord flicked his wrist and the tip of the whip cut across the tattoos on the boy's cheeks, perfectly underlining the black ink with a small line of blood. Palpatine smirked wickedly at the precision he had shown.

he constant twirling of the platform irritated Ardeth, since it meant he never knew where exactly Sidious would be. But he focused past that, dropping into a light meditation. The pain from that first cut was almost nothing—the tattoos themselves had hurt much worse than that when he received them, and that had been years ago.

Rick sent every ounce of strength he had through the bond to his brother. Inwardly, he was furious at himself. Why had he provoked the creature so much? Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut for a change??

Sidious saw that Ardeth had not been impressed by his skills with the whip, but the smile that stretched his lips across his teeth was cruel as he struck again, causing the whip to wrap around the boy's stomach.

Ardeth's shoulders tightened a little at that, but he was still easily able to ignore the pain. After all that the boys had been through in the past months since they met, it took a lot of pain to break through their shells.

Another stroke. This one landed across his shoulders, wrapping close to his neck as Palpatine pulled it back, a little more viciously this time.

‘This could take a very long time,’ Ardeth commented through the bond. He had put up a partial block to prevent Rick from feeling the pain, but it wouldn’t affect their sense of each other.

It continued thus for a short while. Sidious was impressed but not necessarily pleased with the resistance Ardeth was showing. This was no mere boy, that much was clear. He had a substantial reserve of endurance. The man’s eyes sparkled inhumanly, relishing the thought of exploring those reserves to their limits.

Suddenly, a flashing light on a console read out caught the Sith’s attention. He stopped, disengaging the whip. Then he turned to the boys. “It would seem that you have been granted a short reprieve. Now if you gentlemen would please excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” As he reached the doorway, he turned back to look between the two of them. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone for very long.”

As soon as the door closed behind Palpatine, Ardeth began testing the limits of the manacles holding him in place. 'I wonder if this platform is designed to make someone give up just from the nausea?'

Rick chuckled slightly at that. 'Are you alright?' he asked. It was interesting. As far as interrogations and torture went, this was much easier than what they were usually put through. But he also knew he wasn't been the one who was being whipped, though he would have done anything to take the beating for Ardeth.

'I am fine, my brother. Actually, most of the tattoos I have received are much more painful than this is.' Ardeth shook his head. 'I am sure he will switch tactics soon, but this is not hard to deal with.'

Rick nodded, grateful for the easy start the creature was either purposefully or unwittingly giving them. Though he knew Ardeth was right it couldn't last long like this. The man was terrifyingly devious, and Rick had no doubt that the man was more than a master in the art of inflicting pain. A shiver ran down the boy's spine at simply the thought of it.

'We will be strong for each other, and we can get through this,' Ardeth said, strengthening the bond even further.

'Yes, we will,' Rick answered back, smiling slightly as he gathered up his courage and reached through the bond to his brother. 'How long do you think it will take for the Council to find us?'

'I do not know. I cannot sense the Force outside of this place. Anakin should notice that we are gone soon, since I am guessing that he will want to talk to us about his wife, but I do not know how long it will take them to find us.'

'And he's not going to suspect Palpatine, that's for sure,' Rick groaned in frustration. His brow furrowed as he tried to think the situation through. Closing his eyes, he cast as many healing spells as he had learned in the past couple of weeks on his brother. Then he bit his lip as he tried to break through whatever was limiting their perception to this place, but it was no use. Sidious' shield was too strong.

'Save your strength, we do not want him to know our skills in healing,' Ardeth warned, feeling his wounds starting to heal.

'Yeah, I guess,' Rick conceded. But one thing was certain, once Palpatine started in on them really hard, Rick was definitely not going to stand by a let his brother suffer.

'So, what do you think of Anakin's secret?' Ardeth asked, purposely changing the subject to think about more pleasant things.

Rick smiled. ‘I think it explains a little bit of why he and the Council don't get along so well. They must not see eye to eye on a number of things. It's gotta be hard, though, keeping a secret like that. I mean he can't even risk touching her or seeming too close when they're out in public.’

'That would be very difficult,' Ardeth shook his head. 'Once we are out of here, I am going to confront the Council about their many silly rules. They are destroying themselves.'

Rick nodded slightly but he wondered how well that would go over. 'When we do, I'll leave the persuading to you. Negotiations are not my strong suit,' he chuckled with a sly grin. 'I wonder if they didn't have those rules, if Anakin wouldn't feel so ostracized from them. He'd probably trust them more and Palpatine less. Did you feel that when we were in the old man's office? Anakin had the same regard for this geezer as he has for Obi-Wan.'

'I know,' Ardeth shook his head. 'It's just wrong, but Palpatine must offer him unconditional support, while Obi-Wan seeks to make him better by correcting him.'

'Yeah,' Rick said shaking his head. 'We have to watch out for this guy. If he can keep all the Jedi in the dark about his true nature when they are so close to him, there’s no telling what this guy is capable of.' He paused a moment before asking a question to which he feared the answer. 'Have you seen any creature as powerful and deceptive as this one?' Despite his efforts to hide it, a small thrill of fear ran through him.

'No, I have not,' Ardeth answered, both thoughtful and sober. 'Even Imhotep was not this deceptive—he might be nearly as powerful, but he did not usually try to deceive. This will be a great challenge, to destroy this creature.'

Rick swallowed slightly as he nodded, his expression grim. 'Do you think the Council will believe us about him, when we tell them?' he asked, determined to consider their escape a certainty.

'I will not give them a choice. They do not yet know the full power and duty of the Med-jai. If they refuse to listen, they will learn exactly how bad an idea that is.'

Rick raised his eyebrows as he looked at his brother. Ardeth was strong and always a formidable opponent, though he usually took the diplomatic approach whenever it was open to him. Rick was surprised to hear such an aggressive statement from him. But then again they were talking about a creature and the fate of the entire galaxy would hang in the balance. He nodded with determination. Whatever they faced, they would face it together, as they always did.

'Get some rest, my brother. The creature will be back soon enough, and we will need all of our strength.' Ardeth relaxed as much as he could while hanging in the blue forcefield.

But Rick shook his head. 'Nope, you're going first this time. You're the one who was just whipped. I'll stand watch first.'

The younger boy rolled his eyes. 'Very well. As soon as you start to feel tired, wake me. Your head injury is mostly healed, but sleep will take care of the damage I did not have the energy to help.'

'I will,' Rick promised. 'Sleep well, buddy.' He let Ardeth sleep for most of the time, but after several hours, he did have to wake him. He didn't want to, still feeling that his brother needed to have the rest, but he had promised. And he knew if he broke that promise, Ardeth would never trust him to do that again. He gently brushed his twin's mind.

Feeling the light brush, Ardeth opened his eyes and blinked at his rotating view of the room. 'Rick?' he asked, yawning.

'Hey, feeling any better?' Rick asked.

'Yes, I am. How is your head?' the boy asked, waking up more and remembering exactly where they were.

'It's starting to talk,' Rick muttered with a wry chuckle.

'All right. Get some sleep, then,' Ardeth brushed Rick's mind gently, ensuring that his twin would have no nightmares that night.

Rick began to relax against the manacles that still held him to the wall as much as he dared. With his head throbbing, it took a little longer than it normally would for him to go to sleep, but soon he was resting peacefully.

It was well after nightfall before Palpatine could break free of his duties to come down and visit his prisoners. Ardeth heard the man coming, and brushed Rick's mind. 'We're about to see our host again, Rick.'


	9. Chapter 9

Rick pulled back to consciousness just as the door opened and the Sith reentered the room. His eyes danced with an evil glee. By this time the protection that O'Connell had should have worn off, and now he was going to have fun with both of them. "Did you sleep well boys? I apologize for having to neglect you for so long. Matters of state, you know. But I have finished my duties for the day and can devote the rest of my time to you."

"What a privilege," Ardeth's voice was very dry. He checked the protection he had on Rick and bit back a sigh—it was almost completely gone. The younger boy wished he could renew it, but he had drained himself too much earlier and wouldn't be able to do it for at least another day.

"We wouldn't want to take up too much of your time,' Rick offered off-handedly.

"Oh, don't worry, boys, I will gladly spend time with you," Palpatine smirked and opened a cabinet next to the one holding the weapons. There was a clang within the weapons cabinet as Beset sensed Palpatine's proximity and reacted.

Rick squashed back down his rising apprehension as the creature dug around in the cabinet. When the Sith lord turned around, he had a lightsaber in his hand. The boy used all his self-control not to squirm nervously. His eyes were locked on the man's every move.

"Since I still have need of both of you, for now, I will restrain myself from doing anything permanent, such as removing limbs. But for now, you will learn what a training lightsaber feels like. Anakin told me how he has yet to land a blow on you, and it frustrates him."

Rick stiffened as the Sith ignited the lightsaber then turned his gaze towards his brother. "I'm sure you know how that feels. I doubt you have the skill to land a blow on anyone," he commented darkly. "You're so old and weak."

Palpatine turned his dark gaze on Rick. "So you wish to start this session? Very well," He swung the lightsaber at Rick, and it hit the boy on the left arm, leaving a nasty burn behind. "But you two are such close brothers, I'm sure you share everything!" Turning, he gave Ardeth an identical burn.

Rick bit down a cry as the blade landed on his arm, and then again as Palpatine struck Bey. He hissed at the familiar feeling the blade burn brought to his arm. He locked his glare on Palpatine, but didn't say anything else to challenge him since obviously he was not succeeding in diverting his attention from Ardeth. He sent strength to his brother through their bond and tried to absorb his pain as much as he could.

Ardeth flinched a little at the burn of the lightsaber blade. Palpatine was right, he had never been hit with it before, so the pain wasn't what he expected. Palpatine started circling Ardeth, making certain that he was always between the two boys whenever Ardeth was facing the right direction to look at Rick.

Palpatine smirked. "In order to build up a tolerance for pain, one has to experience pain. I promise you this, before I end your miserable existence, you will be able to endure amputation from a blade at full power without comment, that is you would have if you were going to live long enough to experience it beyond my training." With that, he struck out at the boys again, searing the flesh of their legs as he held the blade there a little longer than he had the first time.

Ardeth closed his eyes, grabbing Rick through the bond and using that to keep both of them steady.

Small beads of sweat were beginning to break out on his forehead as he tried to quell his memories of his and Ardeth's experience with the NID. He clung to his brother's presence tightly.

'Be calm, my brother. We will be fine,' Ardeth whispered through the bond, letting his own calm reach Rick. 'Let the other memories go—they have no bearing here.'

Rick nodded barely. He released his fears and his memories on a breath as he exhaled deeply. After a few more measured breaths, he opened his eyes, a little more collected than before.

Palpatine frowned as he saw that Rick looked calmer. He had to find a way to cut the bond between the boys, as soon as possible. They received too much strength from each other.

Bringing his powers to bear, the man tried to use the Force to sever the link between the boys. But then, there was a burst in the Force, and, much to their surprise, their tormentor was thrown unconscious across the room. Rick looked from the form of the downed Sith to his brother in shock. 'Whoa! We ought to get bad guys to try that more often! It'd make fighting them a whole lot easier!'

Ardeth laughed. 'That would be quite nice!'

Given a reprieve for the moment, Rick settled in on himself to try to gather his strength as well as to send some to his brother. After a while, he looked up at his brother. 'You okay?' he asked.

'I do not believe I will be participating in any races any time soon, but it is not a serious injury. While he is out, do you remember the spell I taught you for spying on someone? It makes it so that the door does not completely latch? See if you can cast it on the door he came through. If it is not locked, we might be able to use it to escape sometime.'

With a nod, Rick focused his energy on the spell Ardeth had taught him only a couple of days before they had appeared on Coruscant. As he finished, he looked anxiously at the door. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to tell if he had cast the spell properly until Palpatine tried to close the door. He wasn't worried too much since they had practiced using it on their cousins once or twice, but he did fear that the Sith would somehow detect it and neutralize it.

Palpatine started stirring, and Ardeth met Rick's eyes. 'He will not be happy, Rick. But hold tight to the bond, and we will be fine.'

Rick braced himself, drawing strength from their bond, as the man rose to his feet. In his eyes, the boy could see a barely concealed rage. He drew his lightsaber again and stalked menacing over to Ardeth. "You two have a unique connection. Anakin and the Jedi have not even begun to scratch the surface of its potential," he breathed in a dangerous tone.

"The Jedi may not know the extent of our bond, but it is not a thing to be trifled with. No one has ever severed a bond such as the one my brother and I share and lived to tell of it."

"We shall see about that," Palpatine answered, malice glittering in his eyes. "Every connection has limits, and I'm going to enjoy breaking you both once I find them." With that, he laid the lightsaber across the boy's throat and held it there.

Reacting instinctively, Ardeth tried to get away from the heat at his neck but was unable to move away. The slow turning of the platform pushed the blade even harder against his throat, deepening the burn.

Rick held onto his brother, trying push strength and comfort through to him and as much healing as he dared. Palpatine grinned widely, then, at length, finally pulled the blade away.

Ardeth tipped his head forward slightly, relieving the strain on the new burns. His hair swung forward to hide his face. He looked up through the dark curtain to glare at Palpatine, trying not to gag on the stench of his own burned skin.

The Sith reveled in the anger he could feel in the boys. Ardeth was more skilled at controlling his. But Rick was roiling with the rage that he just barely held in check. He whirled on Rick who was glaring daggers at the man for what he had just done.

"It angers you when I hurt your brother, doesn't it?" the man asked, voice soft, almost gentle. "You want to hurt me for what I do to him. You want to use every shred of energy in your body to destroy me, to tear me to pieces, don't you?" he paced closer to Rick.

"Well, what do you know? He does have a modicum of intelligence after all. Not much, but it is there," Rick grated out, his tone furious. "But even though I do desire it, I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of seeing me play into your hand." The boy spat in the Sith's face.

"Oh, you will. You will." Palpatine brushed the tip of the saber across Rick's throat. The burn was light enough to barely sting, a mockery of the one decorating Ardeth's throat.

Rick drew in his breath as a sharp hiss as he held onto their link for strength and calm. Feeling the saber only barely touch his throat his eyes snapped open, confused at first and then hardening in anger at the Sith’s actions, secretly humiliated by his startled reaction.

The Sith lowered the blade and shut it off. The silence in the small room was startling after the hum of the energy blade. "You boys have been in here quite a while now—you must be hungry and thirsty."

Rick raised an eyebrow, doubting that suddenly their captor had discovered a humane side to his nature. He chanced a quick look at Ardeth to see if he could guess what the creature was playing at.

The younger boy was watching every move Palpatine made, obviously wary. The man smiled at them, going over to the door. "I will be back shortly. Don't get into any trouble while I am gone!"

Rick watched the man leave and shook his head. He cast a couple of healing spells on Ardeth. 'I say we trash his office,' he offered bitterly, trying to calm himself.

'Can you reach the cabinet next to his . . . supplies cabinet with a lock-picking or a blasting spell? Beset and the rest of our weapons are in there.' Ardeth lifted his head, gauging how much the burn hurt. Thanks to Rick's healing spells, the throbbing was reduced some, but it would be difficult to talk for a while.

Rick’s jaw tightened at the pain his brother was in, and he tried to draw it away as much as possible. 'I'll try.' He turned and looked at the cabinet and tried a lock-picking spell since he was better at that one, but the power of the spell rebounded, knocking the wind out of him and reducing his energy levels somewhat. Recovering from the blow after a moment, Rick took a second to orient himself to try a blasting spell.

'Wait!' Ardeth caught Rick's attention before he could try the blasting spell. 'He has it protected somehow. Here, let me into your mind, and I will guide your blasting spell so that it won't rebound and hit you if it does not work.'

Rick opened his mind to his brother, dropping all his defenses. It was a strange feeling, not unpleasant, but foreign. His hands began to move at Ardeth's command. Somewhere in the back of Rick's mind it reminded him of when he had been taken by the Goa'uld, but his brother's presence there in his mind guiding his actions was too comforting for this reminder to be disconcerting.

Ardeth carefully checked the angles, making certain that the spell would not come close to his brother. It didn't take him long to set it up, and then he cast it.

The power of the spell hit the cabinet rammed it back into the wall, leaving a rack where it had hit the duracrete. They had managed to punch a hole in the cabinet, but it was too small to be useful. Rick sighed heavily both from the frustration at their situation and a the slight drain the spell had caused him.

'We will try again later. I think he is coming back,' Ardeth slipped back to his own mind and tried to relax his shoulders. He longed to stretch, but his hands were pinned down by his sides by the manacles.

Rick gasped at the feeling of his brother leaving his mind and shook his head. He pressed down a slight smile as the Chancellor reentered the room.

The man looked between the two boys. He was holding a tray with two water bottles and a small packet of beef jerky. "Did you two behave while I was gone?"

Rick groaned, torn between despair and laughter at the meal. 'He's conspiring with our other enemies to poison us!' he scoffed to Ardeth. Though he was surprised that he actually meant to feed them. He wondered if the dark lord had something up his sleeve with this.

With a silent laugh, the younger boy grinned at Rick. 'I think it must be in the guidebook for all who kidnap us—they must only feed us jerky and water.'

O'Connell shook his head. 'I'd almost rather starve.'

'We do have to eat to keep up our strength,' Ardeth turned his attention back to the Sith. "It depends on your definition of behaving," His voice was hoarse, and it hurt to talk, but he was pleased that his throat hadn't been damaged too much.

Rick ducked his head to hide a smile at Ardeth's comment, wondering how long it would take for Palpatine to notice his damaged chest, though he hoped it would take a while. "So are you going to turn us loose or do you intend to feed us yourself?" he commented dryly.

The man's smile was almost pleasant. He set the meal onto the floor near Ardeth and waved a hand. Rick's manacles dropped off. "You may eat and visit the bathroom, then it will be your brother's turn. I warn you, if you attempt anything, it will be your brother who will pay the price."

Rick nodded gravely, resolving not to provoke the Sith for Ardeth's sake. But that didn't mean he couldn't pay attention to every detail he got now that he was able to move about freely. He silently activated the spell that would allow Ardeth to see what he was seeing, so when he was released if there was any opportunity to escape, he would know about it before hand and be able to plan accordingly.

The Sith watched as Rick ate and drank, then showed him to the bathroom. Ardeth kept his head down the entire time, so that his lack of attention to the cell would not be noticed.

Rick's eyes shifted subtly to take in everything that he could. But Sidious was very careful about what he let the boy see. Outside the room in question was a nest of tunnels curving around in what seemed to be an endless maze. And what ever blocked their senses in the room was also at work out here as well. By the time they got back, Rick hadn't seen anything that he knew could be used as an advantage. He knew that Ardeth was better at noticing the nuances of their surroundings than he was and hoped his brother had had better luck at garnering information from what they had seen.

With a wave of Palpatine's hand, Rick was back in the manacles against the wall. Another wave, and Ardeth caught himself just before he fell to the ground. Before the boy started eating, he stretched his sore shoulders.

Palpatine hovered over the boy, watching his every move. Though he didn't believe either of them would try anything with each other's life in the balance.

As Ardeth knelt to eat the food, he reversed the spell, letting Rick see through his eyes. Palpatine took him through a different route to the bathroom.

Rick's hair couldn't hide his eyes so he leaned his head back on the wall and closed his eyes as if he were resting.

Palpatine brought Ardeth back to the room quickly after the boy was finished. As the Sith ushered his brother back into the room, Rick's eyes opened, his gaze was narrowed in suspicion. "Why are you feeding us?" he asked, though keeping his guard against the answer.

Palpatine smirked at the boy and set Ardeth back up in the rotating platform. "You are going to be my guests for a while. It would not do for you to die before I kill you."

Rick tilted his head and shrugged what little he could in his bonds. "Just curious," he murmured.

"Now, it is time to continue. Let us try something else this time," the Sith went over to his cabinet and rummaged around, obviously looking for something. "Let us see how drugs affect this bond of yours."

Rick rolled his eyes and hoped that this attempt would have the same results as the last one.

The man turned around and considered the boys. A hypospray was in his hand, and he looked pleased with himself.

'I hate it when bad guys get that look on their faces,' Rick groaned. The man twirled it idly in his fingers as he approached the older boy. Rick's look remained unimpressed.

Palpatine's smirk grew. "You are not bothered by needles, are you?" he asked quietly, holding it up to the light.

Suddenly, the look on Rick's face changed, realizing then what it was. His face paled slightly, as he cringed back against the wall. His eyes as they glanced at the needle held fear. And Rick was afraid, afraid that Palpatine would give this drug to his brother who was bothered by needles. He prayed that the Sith would misread the signals he was feeding him and mistake it for aversion.

It worked—Palpatine chuckled and thrust the needle into Rick's arm. The drug spread like cold fire through Rick's veins, closing off his extra senses, his perception of the Force.

Rick struggled against him and gasped as the serum spread through his system. The freezing yet burning sensation had surprised him, and he shook head trying in vain to clear it out. And yet while he was reeling from the effects of the drug, he sighed in relief inwardly. His ruse had worked. He began to feel slightly dazed and most of his senses were cut off. It was as if he had become trapped in a small enclosed space, one that was invisible and whose walls clung to his body.

'Rick! Do not give in to it! Please, my brother, fight the drug!' Ardeth's voice, strangely distant and desperate, caught Rick's attention.

Rick blinked, trying to maintain his grasp and began to slowly fight back. He had been so consumed with keeping that needle away from his brother that he hadn't planned out beyond that accomplishment. Added to which, the feeling of disorientation that the serum caused had caught him off guard. He began to make a note to himself that when they got out of this he was definitely going to have to improve his skills of setting long-term goals as well as short-term ones. He pushed against the leaden feeling his body was succumbing to. It was like trying to run through water that was chest deep. But he kept struggling to break free of the stupor.

Ardeth found a crack in the box holding Rick's senses in and tore at it. When he finally had a hole in it, he thrust a trail of energy through to lead Rick out.

Rick clung to the lifeline, pulling free. There were some lingering effects of the drug, but his senses were starting to clear. He blinked a few times slowly and let his head fall lazily back against the wall, trying to keep a glazed look in his eyes. He hoped that maybe Palpatine would think that the suppressant had taken hold.

Palpatine dragged a finger down Rick's face to gauge his reactions. "How do you feel, boy?"

Rick slurred his words slightly. "Better pull... that finger back before... before I bite it," he threatened haltingly, but hints of fear shone in his eyes.

Laughing, the Sith touched his finger to Rick's forehead. "Good, good." He concentrated again, trying to sever the bond, thinking it had been weakened by the drug.

Once again, the Sith found himself propelled across the room, lying on the floor out cold. Rick dropped the act after a second just to make sure, and then he threw one of his cocky grins over to his brother. 'I think I'm enjoying this!'

'That was very close, my brother. How do you feel? Any effects from the drug?' Ardeth asked.

'A little. Everything's still a bit fuzzy. My arms feel like lead, but it's not like I can move them anyways. Not much other than that,' he assured his brother. Smiling again, he chuckled. 'It was almost worth it just to see him plow into the wall again! I'm just glad he bought it.'

Ardeth managed a slight smile. He was exhausted—his panic when he had felt the bond closing off from the drug had drained him quite a bit. 'It will be interesting when he wakes. I wonder how long we have been down here—I have lost track of the time.'

Rick shook his head. He didn't know either. He knew Palpatine would be furious when he woke. Rick would have to keep up the act of being drugged or such a ploy might not work again. Either way, it was going to be a long night.

~~~~~~

Anakin was running hurriedly down the Temple corridors. He had searched everywhere he could possibly think of. He had combed the Room of a Thousand Fountains. He had looked through the library. He had even checked each and every sparring chamber, but still he could not find them. At first, he hadn't been bothered by it. Ardeth and Rick had helped to save the lives of all the people on that transport, including Padmé's, so he was more than willing to let them have the rest of the afternoon off. But when they hadn't shown up for dinner, it struck him as odd. The boys never missed a meal, so he had gone to check their room to see if they were still resting from their ordeal, but they had not been there. Everything was as it had been that morning when he had picked the two up for lessons. And now, it was getting very late. "Where could they be?" he groaned in frustration, worriedly running his fingers through his hair.

"Is something wrong, Anakin?" It was Obi-Wan, and he sounded slightly amused. "Have your erstwhile apprentices vanished on you?"

But Anakin was not smiling as he nodded. “I can’t find them anywhere. Something just doesn’t seem right. They missed dinner.” Here, he looked pointedly at Obi-Wan. “And you know them, they never miss dinner.” His brow was knit in worry, his hair quite disheveled both from the transport accident and then from searching for Rick and Ardeth.

"Where was the last place you saw them?” Obi-Wan asked, tucking his hands into his sleeves to restrain himself from smoothing Anakin’s hair. He still regarded the younger man as his closest friend and son, but he knew Anakin would resent any action that would make him feel younger than he was.

"There was an explosion on one of the transports near the Senate building," Anakin answered carefully, keeping his face from betraying the awkwardness of having to explain. "There were a few diplomats that were on board. I believe it might have been an assassination attempt. Rick and Ardeth saved them before I was able to reach it. Once I got there, I escorted the politicians to the Senate building while Rick and Ardeth were heading back to the Temple. I haven't seen them since." Anakin's eyes were genuinely concerned over their disappearance. He knew that both Rick and Ardeth were too responsible to run away. At least Ardeth was, and Anakin knew that he could talk Rick down from any foolish behavior. "It's not like them," he murmured shaking his head, beginning to fear the worst.

"You are right, it is not like them. Come, let us retrace the route they would have taken from this accident to the Temple and see if we can find any clues."

Anakin nodded and hurried with Obi-Wan. They made their way swiftly. Obi-Wan seemed calm and walked at a steady pace, but Anakin's impatience and apprehension were getting the better of him, and his stride was much quicker than his former Master's. He found he had to stop and wait for Kenobi to catch up several times.

At the scene of the accident, they found that most of the evidence had been cleaned up. Aside from a few scorch marks, there was no way to tell what had happened earlier in the day.

Anakin shook his head in frustration as he moved over to stand beside the bench the boys had been sitting on, the memory playing out clearly in his mind. "Rick and Ardeth were sitting here. Their clothes were a little singed, but aside from that they were perfectly fine. Then I left to escort the senators back to the Senate building. As I was walking away, I distinctly remembered looking over my shoulder, and I saw them heading back in the direction of the Temple."

"Where were they when you saw them?" Obi-Wan asked. He crouched next to one of the singed areas, reaching out with the Force to feel the emotions that had happened here.

Anakin walked over to where he had seen the two brothers moving away from the scene. "They were here," he pointed down to where he stood, then looked up trying to gauge their possible route, "and headed that way." He ran his fingers through his hair, unable to quell this gnawing feeling that something had happened.

Obi-Wan started pacing the route the boys would have taken to get back to the Temple, then paused near a dark corner. "There is a lingering feel of panic here. Do you feel it, Anakin?"

"Yes," he replied, his tone dark, that gnawing feeling growing stronger with each passing moment. He took a few steps, following the sensation like a path. "They were afraid. But afraid of what? Then, he froze as he saw something that made his heart stop. In the failing light of day, as night began to sweep over Coruscant’s never-ending cityscape, something glimmered faintly on the ground. Anakin stooped and picked up one of the darts that had been fired at the boys. His eyes widened. "They were attacked," he breathed.

Taking the dart from Anakin's fingers, Obi-Wan examined it carefully. "It looks like a simple paralysis dart. But why would anyone target those boys? They look like normal Jedi, for the most part, and we have been very careful to keep all information of what they are capable of within the Temple."

"I don't know," Anakin shook his head. He wracked his mind, trying to find answers. The only two people he knew of outside the Jedi Order who knew about the boys were his wife and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. But both of them were trustworthy to keep the secret. They knew how dangerous that information could be. "Word must have leaked out somehow. Plus, our trip out of the Temple yesterday was a spur of the moment idea. No one could have known those boys would be outside the walls of the Temple for long enough to lay in wait for them." Anakin's face twisted in guilt. If he had been there, the boys would not have been taken. He had let himself get sidetracked for a few seconds, and now someone else had paid the price. Again.

Obi-Wan rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "It is not your fault, Anakin. It is entirely possible that someone was targeting Jedi and saw two padawans alone. If that is the case, we can fully expect the boys to turn up on their own soon. Let's go back to the Temple and see if we can find any security cameras in the area to get an idea of who their assailant was."

Anakin nodded and walked back with Obi-Wan to the Temple. If he found out who was responsible for the boys abduction, he would seek justice with every last fiber of his being. He hadn't realized how much those two had come to mean to him. Even when he and Ardeth had been at odds, part of him had always respected him, even though his jealousy had never allowed him to admit it to himself. He prayed that they would find them soon.


	10. Chapter 10

The force-field and manacles holding Ardeth upright shut off suddenly, and the boy collapsed onto the floor. Palpatine thrust a bottle of water and a piece of bread at him. "Eat, quickly! If you aren't done in two minutes, your brother doesn't get any!" The man's voice was a low snarl.

Dropping his eyes, Ardeth forced his numb hands to move and ate as quickly as he could. It had been a long night. After Palpatine woke up from his second attempt at severing the bond, he had tortured the boys for hours before he left to get some rest for his duties the next day.

"Hey, cut him some slack!" Rick demanded, protesting Ardeth's rough treatment. He was still weak from Palpatine's wrath the night before. He wanted to inform the man that it wasn't their fault that he was too stupid to listen to reason. But he had found out last night that Palpatine just as easily lashed out at Ardeth as he would at Rick for his insults aimed at the Sith.

Palpatine glared at Rick. "Be silent, boy! Your turn will be soon enough." Ardeth gulped down the stale bread and water, finishing well within the time limit. The Sith then escorted him to the bathroom, before dragging him back by the collar, delighting in the way the rough material dug into the painful burns on the boy's throat.

Rick pulled against the manacles no longer caring how much they burned his wrists. He sent as much strength and healing through the bond that he had left, as Palpatine restrained the prince again.

Palpatine released Rick and tossed him a bottle of water and bread. He paced around the room while the boy ate. In just a few minutes, he had an early morning appointment that he couldn't miss, and he expected Anakin in sometime during the day to complain about how Ardeth was ignoring him and hiding. He needed to think up some drivel that was both compassionate and ingratiating.

Rick's glare was smoldering as he ate his food. Once he was finished Sidious rushed him out of the room, backhanding the boy when he slowed defiantly. Rick rose to his feet and started moving again, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

On the way back to the room, Palpatine twisted Rick's ear, using that pain to keep the boy moving fast. He chained Rick back up, and sneered at both boys. "I will be back later. You had better think about the answers you have for me, or things will go very badly for you."

Rick didn't answer, but as soon as the door shut behind the Sith, he cursed, growling the anger he was trying to keep the creature from using against him. But he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. He turned quickly to Ardeth, his fury overridden suddenly by concern for his brother. 'Are you alright?'

'I will be fine,' Ardeth told him, head down to relieve pressure on the burn. The rough treatment had torn open the damaged skin, and his collar was now stained with blood. 'Did he hurt you at all?'

'Not much,' he replied. What little pain he had gotten had been negligible. His heart burned to see the crimson stain on his brother's tunic. It had him concerned. While Palpatine was feeding them, he had no intentions of cleaning the wounds he dealt to the boys. No surprise there, but in the past, Rick and Ardeth had always been able to tend to each other. But they were hardly ever released from their chains. And Rick was afraid the wound might become infected. He used the last of his reserves to cast as powerful a healing spell on Ardeth as he could. As the energy left him, he slumped against the wall slightly.

Ardeth relaxed some in his bonds as the healing energy moved through him. 'Rest, Rick. You have to recover your energy. I will wake you later, when I need to sleep.'

Rick was hesitant when he knew his brother was just as exhausted as he was. 'No, I'm okay,' he murmured, barely on the edge of consciousness, but his body overrode his efforts to stay awake.

Rolling his eyes, Ardeth sent some calm through the bond and brushed Rick's mind to prevent any nightmares. He relaxed as much as he could, keeping watch over the cell.

~~~~~~~~

Back at the Temple, Anakin and Obi-Wan sat in the records room. The two of them had searched the surveillance vids long into the night, trying to find some clue that would lead them to the boys. Anakin rubbed his eyes tiredly. He could not sleep as exhausted as he was, because that feeling of foreboding had been steadily growing stronger. The last time he had felt this way was when he had had nightmares about his mother's death. He had tried to put them off, to dismiss them as simple nightmares, but by the time he paid them heed, it was too late. He was determined that he would not let it happen this time. He had not had dreams about the boys, but the feeling remained, so both Jedi had sat scouring through the visual records of the Capitol. Anakin groaned in frustration as he discarded the vid he had finished and started another of a dark side alley within the vicinity of the accident. "Why does Coruscant have to have so many sidewalks?" he grumbled as he watched the vid play out. They knew exactly which sidewalk the attack had taken place on, but the surveillance vids were not so accurately identified. So he had looked at several similar alleyways all night.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "This is taking too long. I need to go let the Council know what happened. Get some rest, Anakin. Go talk to Senator Amidala, I know that always helps you relax. We will continue our search later, when we are fresh."

Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan, curious at his advice. But he nodded quickly to cover his surprise. Sometimes he wondered if his Master knew the truth about he and Padmé like Ardeth and Rick knew. But he didn't have time to worry about that. He hated to abandon the search, but Kenobi was right. They would be able to search much more quickly and efficiently once they had some rest. "Yes, Master," he replied out of habit. He would go to see his wife and try to rest. If he couldn't, then he would return. He rose wearily to his feet.

Obi-Wan stood also and gently tugged on the lock of hair behind Anakin's ear, where his padawan braid had been. "You're not my apprentice any more, Anakin. You don't have to call me Master. Go, get some sleep."

"Yes, Master," he replied sleepily. Exhausted and fraught with worry for his charge, Anakin had not really even registered Obi-Wan's words. He walked out of the room slowly, heading for the entrance of the Temple and Padmé's capitol residence.

Obi-Wan watched Anakin go, then sighed deeply. He went to tell the Council that the boys were missing, most likely kidnapped.

~~~~~~~~

Palpatine ushered Anakin in warmly. "Come in, Anakin," he said cheerily, then stopped, surprised to see the tired circles under the young man's eyes. "My gracious, boy, you look exhausted! What ever is the matter?" Though inwardly the psychopath grinned, knowing full well that the boys' absence would have been noticed. Though he was certain that Anakin would get in hot water about their disappearance, further driving a wedge between him and the Masters of the Council.

Anakin dropped into his usual seat. "Ardeth and Rick have disappeared. It looks like they were kidnapped on their way back to the Temple yesterday."

Palpatine froze, not only seeming to be in shock. He had expected them to notice the boys were gone, but he had not expected or intended for them to find out that they had been kidnapped so soon. Though, he was not too worried. Of all the people he had abducted and tortured to death, no one had ever reemerged from his chambers alive. "Kidnapped? That's dreadful news!" he said, appearing to be concerned for their welfare. "Are you certain they did not storm off in a fit? Boys tend to do that at that age to get attention," he assured Anakin calmly. "Especially when they are full of themselves as that pair seemed to be. My nephews did that constantly at Ardeth’s age and worried my brother to no end."

Anakin shook his head. "I almost wish it were that. But Obi-Wan helped me look for them some last night, and we found signs of a fight and paralysis darts. Do you know of any fast way to search the security camera feeds for a specific street and time? We're hoping to see who grabbed the boys."

Inwardly, Palpatine was cursing that incompetent bounty hunter and his messy tactics. If he ever saw that man again, he would kill him in a very slow and excruciating manner. They were getting close, too close. He had almost completely cut Anakin off from his companions; he was almost ready to test his new student, but not just yet. He shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I do not my dear boy. I will ask my companions and see if they know of anything, and I will let you know the instant I learn something." He laid a gentle, fatherly hand on Anakin's shoulder. "We will find who did this, Anakin," he assured him with understanding eyes. "We will find them."

"Thank you, Chancellor. I know you're busy, so I really appreciate you taking the time to see me."

"Anytime for you, Anakin," he said with a pleasant smile.

"I need to get back to the Temple and see what the Council has to say." Anakin scrubbed a hand wearily over his face as he stood.

Palpatine nodded and patted Anakin's back, trying to comfort him. "Listen to me boy, no matter what the Council says, this is not your fault." He looked Skywalker in the eye as if to assure him that he supported Anakin despite the Council's inevitable disapproval.

At the reminder of how the Council was likely to react, Anakin grew tense again, just as the Sith intended. Nodding curtly, Anakin thanked the man again and left.

~~~~~~~~

By the time Anakin got back, Obi-Wan was exiting the Council chambers. He grimaced inwardly, dreading what had been said about him in there. He could picture it in his mind: Master Windu shaking his head with a stern look of disapproval, comments about how this was further proof that he didn't deserve the rank of Jedi Master. The worst part about it was that, at this moment, he felt the same way about himself. He caught Obi-Wan's eye and approached as the man motioned him over. "Well?" he asked, his voice betraying some of the misgivings he felt.

Obi-Wan tucked his hands into his sleeves. "The Council is going to notify as many of our contacts as possible and alert them to two kidnapped apprentices. They are very glad that you and the boys were able to deal with the accident without getting injured." The Jedi Master rested his hand on Anakin's shoulder, looking into the younger man's exhausted eyes. "They do not blame you, Anakin."

"What?" Anakin blinked, unable to hide his surprise but then gathering himself quickly. "I mean... thank you." But the confused look remained on his face.

"Did you get any sleep, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, hiding his own exhaustion with the ease of much experience. He had been up with the Council most of the night, convincing them that it was not Anakin's fault. Yoda had joined his side unexpectedly, which swayed the majority of the Council members.

"Not really, no," Anakin admitted. "I tried, but every time I closed my eyes..." his voice trailed off, and he shook his head. "We have to find them," he said firmly, as he began to walk back to the surveillance room to continue searching. "Where ever they are, they're in pain." He couldn't sense it through the Force, but he knew it all the same, an instinct which boded ill of their fate.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I have sensed that as well. Come, let us go look through some more video files. In a few hours, when Dex's restaurant is open, we'll drop by there with the darts and see if he can give us any information."

Anakin nodded. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," he said softly.

The man's hand tightened on Anakin's shoulder before dropping. "Your welcome, Anakin. Let's find the boys. They are good for you—after all, I always wanted you to end up with an apprentice at least as troublesome as you were!"

Anakin smiled at this, his tired eyes sparkling a little as he seated himself once again at a console. "It's the Master's curse then?" Many Masters in the Jedi Temple would threaten their padawans that one day when they became Masters they would get a padawan who acted exactly like they did at that stage in their training. And either by some joke of the Force or cruel irony, this curse always seemed to work.

"You are doomed to some very horrible padawans, I am afraid. I spoke the curse a great many times," Obi-Wan told him, trying to hide his grin.

Anakin laughed as he resumed the vid he had been watching the night before. But after a moment, his voice went silent, and he stared wide-eyed at the screen. "I found it!" he cried. He motioned Obi-Wan over to see the surveillance vid.

Both Jedi watched as Rick was hit with a dart, and Ardeth tried to get the older boy to safety while avoiding getting hit himself.

As soon as the bounty hunter appeared, Anakin zoomed the video in closer so that they could get a good look at his face to know who they were dealing with.

"Copy that image, and I will start a search through the galactic wanted posters." Obi-Wan said, pulling up his datapad and linking to the search engine he wanted

Anakin nodded, grimly. He jacked Obi-Wan's datapad into the console, transferring the image as he continued to watch the scene. His heart rose into his throat as the boys were roughly slung onto the sled and carted away. He knew that the bounty hunter had to be working on a commission. He wasn't the one who had order the hit; he was just the delivery man.

"Can you enhance the image enough to get the identification number for that vehicle?" Obi-Wan asked, keeping a close eye on his datapad.

Anakin pulled up the registration on the vehicle in seconds. He recognized the older make and smiled in relief. There were very few of that outdated model left on Coruscant. This bounty hunter had obviously been away from the capitol on business for a long time to have missed the upgrades. He transferred that information to Obi-Wan's datapad as well, as he followed the sled’s path, progressing to the corresponding feed of the next street as it went. "Any hits yet?" he asked Obi-Wan as he tracked the vehicle to the Senate building.

"Not yet. We will know soon, though," Obi-Wan watched the video and frowned a little.

Anakin shook his head with dread as the hoversled disappeared beneath the government building. "He'd have to be stupid to take the boys there," he breathed, but he knew there was a dark purpose behind the reason for their destination. Though what it was he could hardly guess. "If we inform people at the Senate building of what is going on, the one who did this might panic and kill them," he thought out loud.

"This will be very complicated." Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the datapad as it started beeping. "It looks like this bounty hunter turned himself in and started confessing everything he had ever done wrong, including the time he stole cookies from his mother as a child. Most unusual."

"What?" Anakin looked at the report, astounded. "Isn't he afraid whoever hired him is going to come after him?" he wondered briefly. But that didn't matter. "Did he say who he was working for, where exactly he took them, and why?"

"It's taken them all day interrogating him to get to recent events like the kidnapping. Apparently, he was hired to snatch the boys and bring them under the Senate Building. He does not know who his employer was. All he knows is that he becomes very, very ill every time he tries to break the law. That is most unusual."

Anakin dropped his head into his hand. They were so close! He knew they were. They had to find out if the boys were still in the Senate building or if they were moved. They needed to know who was behind this and why. But he couldn't get this information without arousing suspicion and possibly alerting the enemy. "Maybe I should ask the Chancellor," he suggested aloud. "He would be discreet about this information. And he knows what the boys look like. Maybe he saw them or someone leaving with them."

"You must do what you think best." Obi-Wan said after a moment. "But before you trouble the Chancellor, the next time you go to visit him, take a moment to scan the building with the Force yourself. You may be able to find them, and no one will think anything strange of you going there."

Anakin nodded, quickly copying the information they had gathered onto his own datapad. After he was done, he headed out the door.

"Be careful, Anakin. I feel there is far more to this situation than meets the eye," Obi-Wan called after him, wishing he could find some excuse to go with the young Jedi.

~~~~~~~~

Rick kept watch over the cell while Ardeth slept. He was weary still, but he was beginning to feel better after the rest he’d had. He looked quietly over at his brother, examining his injuries as best he could, which was difficult to do at this distance. His neck was looking a little bit better but not by much. He hadn't had much strength to use for the last spell he had cast on Ardeth. Suddenly, steps resounding in the passageways caught his attention. 'Ardeth,' he called out in fear, 'he's coming.' When Sidious threw the door open, Rick started at the rage he saw in the man's eyes.

Palpatine's fury was frighteningly tangible, hitting them both like a wildfire, suffocating them. He had worked too hard for too long for all of his plans to be ruined by two whelps with some idiotic sense of duty. He was running out of time; he would have to break them quickly.

The man went straight to his cabinet and pulled out the interrogation droid and the torture mask. "Do you two have the answers I seek ready?"

Steeling himself, Rick kept his voice calm as he spoke. "Don't you ever get tired of asking the same question over and over again when you already know what the answer is?" He shook his head as if the man's stupidity was amusing.

Palpatine actually growled. He could feel the time running out. Whirling, he glared at the droid. "Activate!" he commanded it and advanced on Ardeth. He would try the mask on the younger boy first. With his strong, innate connection to the Force, the mask would disorient him a great deal.

Rick watched, horrified, trying to think of something to do to divert the Sith. But all his calls went unheeded. The mask Sidious held in his hands was a Sith torture mask designed to cut a Jedi off from the Force by keeping him from being able to concentrate. Palpatine stepped up to the young prince and, without ceremony, pulled the mask down over the boy's head.

Ardeth's careful poise shattered as the mask went into effect. His bond with Rick was gone and all of his extra senses, the ones he had never been without, were gone as well. For the first minutes, he couldn't concentrate enough to focus and see if Rick was still alive. All he felt was a yawning, aching emptiness where the bond should be safely nestled in his mind.

Rick's eyes went wide as his brother seemed to disappear from existence, the link between them gone. He felt his brother's absence as keenly as the time he had died, and the fear that he felt from that winded him. Even as he looked at him and could see him, it felt as though Ardeth's life had been ripped away from him. Rick fought through it, hoping that it would be like the drug had been, and he called out to his brother to fight the effects of this device. Hearing nothing in response, he screamed his name, both out loud and through their bond, trying to break through to him.

"Rick!" Ardeth's voice came out hoarse and panicked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm here! I'm okay," he cried, praying his brother could hear him.

Palpatine was surprised at first that the mask had had this effect, but then an evil smile tugged at his lips, the boys' cries music to his ears. He was still in a hurry, but there was an evil delight dancing in his eyes as he listen to Rick and Ardeth’s panicked whimpering, and he took a moment or two to savor what he had strived for so long finally achieved.

"Are you alright?" Rick asked, frightened for his brother.

"Yes, I am not hurt." Ardeth switched to Arabic, hoping that the language would make it so that Palpatine couldn't understand them. "Has he hurt you?"

"No," he replied also switching languages. His heart was racing as fear surged through him. "Everything's gonna be okay," he assured Ardeth. "I'm still here. I'm not gonna leave you!" he vowed. "We're going to get through this together, like we always do."

Palpatine's triumph was turning to mild annoyance since he could no longer understand the boys' frightened words. So he brought the interrogation droid over to the prince. The dark lord looked wickedly at Rick, whose face had drained of all color. "I told you that you would know pain," he murmured in malicious satisfaction. "As will Ardeth, unless you give me the spell you used."

Rick's eyes stung with tears as he looked painfully at his brother. "Ardeth, please forgive me!" he cried Arabic.

"Do not tell the Creature anything, Rick! Swear it to me!"

Rick gasped, shaking his head, fear rending his heart. But he hung his head, unable to breathe. "I swear," his answer came out in a sob. He looked up at Palpatine, his face stained with tears, his answer evident in his eyes.

The Sith waved the droid forward, and it began its cruel work. Ardeth fought against the pain, trying not to show how much it affected him, but with the mask on, his usual defenses were shattered.

Rick called out to his brother trying to encourage him, despite his own tears. He tried to be strong for Ardeth, but without the bond to connect to them, he didn't know what to do. He watched helplessly as the Sith tortured his brother, screaming, pleading, begging for Sidious to release him.

Palpatine was gratified to hear their screams, to see their pain and fear. But still, his desperation forced him to go harder and faster than he would have liked. Usually, he preferred to relish every moment and draw it out for as long as possible to enjoying the suffering of his victims. But time was a luxury he could not afford now.

He left the droid to work on Ardeth for a few minutes alone and turned his attention to Rick. He needed to find some way to break through the boy's shocked denial of everything.

Rick's terrified pale blue eyes were fixed on his brother, not wanting to look at the horrific tortures being done to him, but unable to turn away. The boy looked like a helpless child, confused and frightened. Silent tears ran down his face as his body trembled uncontrollably.

Palpatine stepped in front of Rick, blocking his view of Ardeth. "What would you do to save your brother?" he asked. "Why not just tell me what I want to know? You will be sparing him the worst death imaginable."

Rick was fixed in a trance and he couldn't deny that this man's words made sense, even though something in the back of his mind raged against it. "Please..." was all he could murmur weakly.

"Just tell me how you got here. Tell me how you managed to enter the Jedi Council room, and your brother's pain will end!"

As Rick looked into the man's eyes, a dam burst in the back of his mind. This pain, this scene had felt familiar, and now he knew why. The memories his father had suppressed came rushing back at him. He saw in vivid color the worlds the creature that had taken him had ravaged, the people he had destroyed, the consequences of their abuse of power. Rick bowed his head and drew a deep shuddering breath. When he looked up again, his eyes were as sharp as steel, even though the pain was still there. "Never!" he grated out. "I'll never tell you."

Palpatine's face grew ugly in rage. "Very well, then." He summoned the droid over to work on Rick for a while. "While you enjoy the expertise of my droid, I think it is time for your brother to learn how to function with only one hand!"

"No!" Rick screamed as he pulled against the manacles holding him. "You coward! You don't have the guts to strike at the one you want to hurt! You don't have what it takes, do you?" He couldn't give the creature what he wanted, but he would not stand by and watch his brother go through an amputation.

"Be quiet, boy! You'll be loosing your own arm soon enough—enjoy it while you can!"

"NO!" O'Connell drew on every last ounce of magic he had and smote Palpatine, uncertain if it would work with their bond broken

The man flew backwards and hit the wall hard, dropping his lightsaber. Ardeth was hanging limp in the force-field, barely conscious.

"Ardeth," Rick cried desperately, beginning to feel dizzy from the drain. "Ardeth, can you hear me?"

"R-Rick?" Ardeth's voice was shaking as the boy fought to deal with the drugs running through his system. "I cannot feel you, Rick. I cannot see."

"I'm here, Ardeth, I'm here with you," he said as he wept silently.

It didn't take Palpatine long to recover, and he stalked over to Rick, absolutely furious. "You will pay dearly for that!" He took out his lightsaber and ignited it, the red blade casting strange shadows through the room.


	11. Chapter 11

The guards outside of Palpatine’s office had been given orders years ago to give Anakin admittance to his office whenever the Chancellor was not around. He always wanted the boy close at hand. Skywalker hoped Palpatine would return soon as he paced in the dignitary’s office. He had scanned the building as Obi-Wan had advised but could not sense the boys in the building or anywhere close by. He feared that the boys had already been taken away. He desperately need to keep searching, but forced himself to wait, believing that maybe his friend and mentor could shed some light on the situation.

As he paced the room, he moved behind the massive desk, a place he had never before gone, out of respect. He found a door there, open just a crack.

Anakin froze as he looked at the door first out of mere curiosity, but then a dark premonition began to tug at his heart as he realized that he could not sense this door in the Force. It should not exist. All he could sense beyond the door was solid wall, but that was not what his eyes told him. As he moved closer, he swept his arm out at the darkness beyond, testing it to see if his eyes betrayed him. It was real, as was the network of passageways he could see beyond. All at once, several voices began to ring in his ears, voices he had never paid any attention to before, Mace Windu, Ki Adi Mundi, even occasionally Obi-Wan trying to warn him of Palpatine and his true motives. He had never listened to them before because he knew Palpatine could never do the things they suspected him of. But now, in the back of his heart, a whisper of doubt formed.

Tightening his jaw, the young Jedi entered the dark tunnel. As soon as he stepped through it, he could feel waves of pain, fear, and anger, and the boys.

The feelings were so strong and poignant that his feet began to move swiftly and silently through the tunnels without his bidding, even as part of him did not want to know what lay at the end of this tunnel. His heart hammered as his eyes grew wide in denial. This couldn't be Palpatine's work. He was a good man, a decent, caring man. He couldn't be responsible for the boys’ abduction, let alone their fear that he could now feel as keenly as if it were his own.

Whispers of a conversation drifted to him through the door ahead that was slightly ajar. The door had not been able to close because of the spell Rick had cast on it the day before. Because of the oppressive atmosphere of this place, Anakin had to strain with all his might to catch the words as they drifted towards him amidst the screams that accompanied them.

“What would you do to save your brother? Why not just tell me what I want to know? You will be sparing him the worst death imaginable.” Anakin recognized the gravelly voice, but it was hard to identify through the echoes and other sounds that emanated from the room.

“Please…” a small pitiful voice whispered.

“Just tell me how you got here. Tell me how you managed to enter the Jedi Council room, and your brother’s pain will end!”

After a second, the younger voice spoke again, but it was stronger and clearer this time. “Never! I’ll never tell you!” It was Rick!

There was some heated arguing he couldn’t make it out as the whirring of a device in the room covered the words, but Rick’s screams of protest and the hum of a lightsaber hurried the Jedi’s steps.

Anakin walked as silently as he could as he approached the room. The door there was open, and the Jedi peered into the room. Ardeth hung limp, suspended in a force-field. A Sith torture droid was hovering near Rick, who was manacled to the wall. And Palpatine was standing over the boy, glowing lightsaber in hand. *Red* lightsaber.

Anakin's lightsaber was in his hands and active in the blink of an eye, and he thrust himself between Sidious and the boys. Since this whole labyrinth was shielded from being sensed in the Force and he had been so consumed in his anger with the boys, Palpatine had not heard him coming, and the blow Anakin landed on his blade nearly knocked the lightsaber from his hand. Anakin's eyes blazed at the dark lord's. "It was you?!" he spat at the man, enraged at the suffering he had put Rick and Ardeth through. He shook his head in disgust mingled with sorrow and anger. "You did this??"

"Anakin!" Palpatine was genuinely shocked to see the Jedi. "How did you get down here?"

But Anakin didn't answer his question. "You're the Sith Lord! All along you've been using us, moving us around like pieces on a chess board. You kidnapped Rick and Ardeth and did this to them?! I trusted you! How? How could you do this?!"

Palpatine snarled at him, his usually friendly face almost unrecognizable. "The galaxy needs this, Anakin! You've seen what the Senate is like—once I have the power, everything will change, and it will be better!"

Anakin's eyes grew wide for a second and then narrowed furiously. "Liar! I'm not going to fall for your stories anymore, you snake! I'm placing you under arrest to be held on the charges among which number treason, murder, and attempted murder, Sith. Your games are over!"

Palpatine's eyes narrowed. "I've worked too hard for this! If you aren't going to join me, Anakin, then you will die!"

Anakin’s lightsaber whirled as he gave himself over to the Force. He knew the kind of cunning it must have taken for Palpatine to have done this. He could not afford to underestimate this man who had the entire galaxy fooled, or hundreds of billions would die. His blade moved gracefully in and out of this dance blocking Sidious’ blows in a flurry of color, his blue saber constantly colliding with Sidious’ red saber.

In the meantime, Rick tried to use what little Force energy he had left to turn off the manacles around his wrists and ankles so he could save Ardeth from that accursed mask. He tried to concentrate, forcing his mind to focus on the restraints, even though he was already reeling from how much magic he had used since their abduction.

Breaking away from Palpatine for a moment, Anakin grabbed his comlink and flipped it on. His emergency link was to Obi-Wan, and he used that for the first time since he had gotten this com.

"Call whomever you wish, boy," Palpatine sneered. "No one will be able to stop me!" He lashed out at Anakin in an impressive display of saber mastery.

"Obi-Wan, I could use a little help here!" Anakin grunted, struggling to block the blows and keep his grip on the com. He had to work hard to stay between the boys and Palpatine, also.

"On my way," came the brief reply. Obi-Wan would not waste time mincing words or demanding an explanation.

Rick, falling free of his bonds, made his way as quickly as he could over to Ardeth. He was incredibly weak, but at the moment his body had gone into overload and was riding the high of an adrenaline rush. He tried desperately to find the right button on the console to release his brother.

Palpatine snarled. The situation was quickly spinning out of control.

The Sith gathered himself and sent Force-lightning arcing toward the boys, forcing Anakin to find some way to block it.

Anakin dove between him and the boys, using his lightsaber to deflect the deadly rays.

But Rick's attention was focused on only one thing. Completely disregarding the immediate danger, he deactivated the restraints on the device, catching his brother but, being weak, bowed under the weight himself. Careful of his injuries, Rick cradled Ardeth, sobbing, as he took the mask off and, contemptuously, threw it across the room.

The bond snapped back into place between them, sending a physical shockwave through the room. At the sudden return of his extra senses, Ardeth's eyes fluttered open and tried to focus on Rick.

'Ardeth?' Rick called to his brother through their bond as he held his twin close, half afraid he would lose him again, the pain readily visible on his tear-stained face.

'Rick, what is going on?' Ardeth closed his eyes and leaned against his twin. He couldn't find the energy to sit up or look around.

More tears began to stream down Rick's face, but this time in relief. He pulled his brother into his embrace. 'Anakin found us,' he explained. Rick quickly tried to pull Ardeth to a safe distance as he looked over at the fight, but his body was trembling from the trauma and his adrenaline rush was being depleted now that he was no longer panicked.

'Be still, Rick. You will hurt yourself,' Ardeth whispered, as he felt his brother's movement. 'Anakin will protect us. Trust him.'

Rick lowered himself and let his brother's body rest against his so that Ardeth wouldn't be sitting on the cold, hard floor.

Anakin's and Palpatine's lightsabers crashed in such rapid sequence, all Rick could discern were blurs of colored light.

The fight continued to increase in intensity. Moments later, they heard a crash from the door leading into the tunnels and shouts from Palpatine's bodyguards, telling the Jedi to go away.

"Surrender, Sidious!" Anakin demanded. "You're outnumbered. The jig is up!"

"I will never surrender to a Jedi!" The Sith snarled and leapt backwards. He disappeared into the tunnels easily, leaving Anakin and the boys behind.

Anakin growled in frustration. Oh, no you don't! he thought angrily. You're not getting away this time. But he knew he couldn't risk chasing after him until Obi-Wan and the rest of the Jedi showed up so that he wouldn't be leaving the boys unattended. After all they had suffered, they were not about to let him get his hands on them again while they were lost in his maze.

The Jedi turned and went over to where the boys lay on the ground, both badly injured and barely conscious. Ardeth turned his head slightly, sensing Anakin. "Anakin?" he asked, voice barely audible.

Anakin turned and walked over to Ardeth, kneeling next to him. "Yes, Ardeth, I'm here," he answered. His heart broke to see the injuries the boy had suffered at the hands of the man he had trusted so blindly. "By the stars..." he breathed, horrified.

"Can we go back to the Temple now? We do not like it here," Ardeth whispered, grip tightening on Rick's shirt as he rode out another wave of pain from the drugs filling his system.

"Yes," he said laying his hand over the boy's. He looked up at Obi-Wan, unable to entrust Ardeth's and Rick's safety to anyone else at this moment, Palpatine's betrayal still a fresh wound in his heart. Obi-Wan nodded. He stood holding Ardeth in his arms. Anakin looked down at his charge in anguish. "I'm so sorry Ardeth."

"You could not know. The Creature is deceptive and powerful. Be wary—he will strike from behind, and he will not hesitate to go after that which you care for most," Ardeth pulled one arm from Obi-Wan's hold, reaching for Rick.

Rick held onto his brother's hand, rising to his feet and then nearly collapsing himself. Adi Galia picked him up carefully and walked closely enough next to Obi-Wan so the boys did not have to release their grasp on each other.

Anakin nodded at Ardeth's advice, but then he froze, all the color draining from his face. "He will not hesitate to go after that which you care for most." The prince's words echoed ominously in his ear. "Padmé," he barely breathed before racing out of the catacombs, running with everything he was worth for Padmé's apartment.

When Anakin got to the apartment, he found the door open. Inside, Padmé was talking to Bail Organa and a few other senators—there was no sign of Palpatine.

Anakin leaned back against a pillar, gripping at his heart with his mechanical hand, trying to slow his breathing. He stepped out of their earshot for a second. Using his commlink, he contacted the Jedi he had left to search Palpatine's secret passages. "Have you found him yet?" he asked.

"There's no sign of him yet. These tunnels are extensive, however." A young Jedi told him. Anakin's comlink bleeped as he got an incoming call from Obi-Wan. "We are at the Temple, Anakin. Is the Senator safe?"

"Yes, she's—" Anakin stopped and stared at the comlink in shock. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Anakin, I know you. We will discuss this more later. For now, take her and anyone else you think he might go after and bring them here to the Temple. It should be safe here."

Anakin nodded in agreement. "How are the boys doing?" he asked. They had been in really rough shape when he had reached them, but he hadn't gotten the chance to closely examine the extent of their injuries.

"It will take them a while to recover, I'm afraid. They refuse to be separated, so the healers are having a difficult time figuring out how to treat them."

Anakin scoffed and shook his head sadly. "Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can. Thank you, Obi-Wan, for taking care of them for me."

"Be careful, Anakin. We have no idea what he will do now that we have discovered his secret," Obi-Wan warned, before cutting the connection.

Anakin walked into Padmé's apartment. "Senator, I hate to interrupt your meeting, but something has come up, possibly a threat on your lives," he said seriously as he spoke to the group. Padmé looked at him in confusion. "I need to ask you all to come with me to the Jedi Temple."

"Of course, Knight Skywalker," She stood immediately and beckoned C-3PO to give people their outer garments.

Anakin cast about subtly, on full-alert for anything and everything to go wrong at a moment's notice. Once they were all ready to go, Anakin began to lead the party toward the Temple as quickly as he could without drawing undue attention.

They made it to the Temple without any problems, which only heightened Anakin's anxiety. The entire Temple was filled with Jedi moving around, preparing for whatever what happen next.

Anakin quickly found Obi-Wan outside the medical quarters. "Something is up. Something has got to be up," he muttered uneasily. "What do you think he's going to do?"

"I do not know, but I suspect that it will be bad. Yoda has already sent all of the younglings and younger padawans to a hidden location, along with copies of our history and many other invaluable things. The knights that are not accustomed to fighting are being sent away to various locations as well." Obi-Wan told him and studied his face. "Are you all right, Anakin?"

Anakin shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. "When I found that passageway, half of me was afraid to know what would warrant its existence or the implications of the fact that it was guarded from being detected through the Force. Part of me thought that surely he would have a logical, rational explanation for it to be there, but...."

Anakin took a deep shuddering breath, closing his eyes at the memory, "but as I got close enough to hear the boys screaming and pleading, as I heard him threaten to kill Ardeth if Rick didn't give him what he wanted..... I trusted him. He was as close to me as you are. That I was around this man day in and day out and not realize that he was capable of that," he waved his arm at the room where the healers were working to help Ardeth and Rick, "I should have seen it. What good is it to be the Chosen One if you can't even see through a man's lies, if you aren't strong enough or smart enough to save the ones you care about?" He ran his hands through his hair as the feelings of weakness, disillusionment, and inadequacy, which he had been holding at bay to do what he had to do, now rose into his throat threatening to choke him.

"Oh, Anakin," Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around Anakin's shoulders and led him into an empty closet where they would have privacy. "Anakin, you know me. I have never valued you as the Chosen One—you are so much more than that to me. You are my brother, my closest friend, and you are a great Jedi. But no one is perfect. And that Sith has had a very long time to practice his deception. And he is very powerful, to be able to hide in the shadow of the temple for so long. Even Yoda himself did not sense that Palpatine was a Sith."

Anakin nodded wearily, seeing the truth in Obi-Wan's words. He thought back to when he had been talking to Palpatine a few days ago, about Darth Pelagius' Dark Force ability to extend and create life. He had spoken of an apprentice and right away Anakin knew the apprentice he had spoken of had been himself. He wondered exactly how long Palpatine had had to work on his skills of deception and cunning. He breathed heavily and shook his head to think that Palpatine had almost completely convinced him that some how this man could save Padmé from the nightmares he had recently begun to have about her. He closed his eyes and tried to center himself in the Force, glad that it hadn't come to that yet. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. Of all the people I have known in my life, I've never had a doubt that I could trust you." He embraced his former master tightly, suddenly feeling like the nine year old boy from Tattoine again.

Obi-Wan hugged him back just as tightly. "I am so glad that I did not loose you today, Anakin. I don't believe I would have been able to deal with it," the Jedi Master murmured.

A tear trailed down Anakin's cheek at his brother's statement. It had been a very close call, and if he had been the cause of any pain for Obi-Wan, he would never have forgiven himself.

A soft voice behind them interrupted their reverie. "Excuse me Master Jedi?" It was Padmé. As the two turned around, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but a special session of the Senate has been called, and we have to go."

The two Jedi exchanged a glance. "Who called the session, Senator Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked, digging out his comlink to let Yoda know of this new complication.

"The Supreme Chancellor," she answered, raising her eyebrow curiously as she noted their wariness. "He says he has an important declaration to make."

"This could be very bad indeed," Obi-Wan shook his head. "Anakin, explain to the Senators you brought here what happened. I will let the Council know of this and ensure that all non-fighters are out of the Temple."

Padmé looked between the two of them worry mounting in her eyes. Anakin took her in his arms and held her tightly, giving her forehead a gentle kiss, before walking away with her to explain the situation.

Obi-Wan told Yoda and the rest of the Council what was going on before returning to Anakin to see if he needed any help.

"So are we allowing the Senators to go to this session?" Anakin asked with misgivings. He didn't want to risk letting Padmé anywhere near that madman.

"Master Yoda says that two of the Masters recalled for this confrontation will go with them. Two that no one in the Senate will recognize. With your permission, Senator Amidala, they will pose as your bodyguards."

Padmé nodded. Anakin was reluctant to agree, but didn't let it show. Inwardly, he was terrified that if his wife walked inside that building that she would not walk out alive again. But he also knew that if she didn't go, it would arouse suspicion possibly endangering her as well. And he could not go with her because he was too easily recognizable. He squeezed her hand subtly before she left. She looked over her shoulder at he husband, throwing him a look of warm affection and assurance.

"Come, Anakin. Let's check on the boys, then we need to go to the Council for a meeting."

Anakin nodded and, with a last look at the departing back of his wife, he turned and strode back into the Temple following Obi-Wan to the infirmary.

Ardeth and Rick were on cots beside each other, both with a full team of trained healers tending to them. They were still holding hands, forcing the healers to work around that.

Anakin closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. If he had found them a minutes later.... But he didn't have to worry about that. He had come when he had, and the boys would live. But it pained him inside to see now the damage that had been done to them. The healers had removed their tunics and now multiple bruises, burns, and lacerations were clearly visible as they decorated both Rick's and Ardeth's bodies. Anakin moved over to stand closer to the Med-jai kneeling next to their cots, much to the dismay of the healers. He laid his hand gently atop their clasped hands.

Ardeth stirred at that and opened his dark eyes to focus on Anakin. "Anakin," he whispered. The healer next to him was trying to treat the burn on his throat and glared at him for speaking.

Rick also opened his eyes. “Hey, there,” Rick greeted the Jedi raspily. With all the screaming he had done, his voice was almost as hoarse as his brother’s.

“Hey,” Anakin said smiling. He was glad to see that the boys were conscious. After all they had been through, he was surprised; but then he did recall Ardeth telling him days ago that they had been tortured before. Though he had never wanted the boys to have experience this again. “How are things going?” he asked gently.

"Has the Creature been captured yet?" Ardeth asked, bringing up his free hand to bat the healer away from his throat. He didn't want anyone near the injury except his father, Rick, or Amir.

"Not yet," Anakin said, shaking his head. "He's called for a special session of the Senate. We're trying to figure out what trick he has up his sleeve, so we sent two Jedi to accompany Senator Amidala to the meeting." The boys could see the subtle hints of fear in his expression.

Ardeth hesitated, then glanced around at the room. "Could we speak with you in private, Anakin?" he asked, scowling when a healer moved towards him carrying a hypospray.

Anakin nodded and quickly requested that the healers leave. They were hesitant to do so since they had not finished with their work, but Obi-Wan helped the young Jedi Knight to shoo them out, and then stepped out the door himself as Anakin knelt next to the boys again.

"Use your bond with your wife, or your children, and you will be able to see what is going on. You are strong enough to do it easily, even though you have no training in this."

"A bond... like the one you and Rick share?" Anakin asked. He had not thought that bond would work the same way as Rick's and Ardeth's did.

"Every magic-user—Force user, in this case, has a bond with their loved ones, and especially with their children." Ardeth hesitated a moment, rubbing a hand over his eyes, struggling to focus. "I will lower my shields and show you how to access the bond."

Normally Anakin would have objected, not wanting the boy to strain himself since he had been through so much, but with Palpatine on the loose, there was too much at stake for him to turn Ardeth down.

"Rick, I will need your help. I need you to keep a constant presence in the back of my mind, and if you sense my shields starting to go up, clamp them down. I am far too used to having them up all the time."

Rick nodded, placing his hand on Ardeth's shoulder and closing his eyes to concentrate on helping Ardeth.

Ardeth closed his own eyes and dropped shields that had not been lowered since he had first learned how to place them when he learned of his magic. 'Come in,' he invited Anakin silently, when he was sure his defenses were down.

Anakin reached out into Ardeth's mind through the Force, feeling slightly awkward at this exchange. It was also slightly shocking to hear Ardeth's mind voice for the first time.

Inside his mind, Ardeth stood tall and straight, not injured in the least. The boy smiled at Anakin. ‘Welcome to my mind. Come on, this way to my bonds.’

Anakin followed Ardeth. He was slightly relieved to see his charge uninjured, before he reminded himself that this wasn't a reflection of reality.

The boy stopped at the beginning of the bonds he shared. His bond with Rick was thick and strong, a bright pathway. The bond with his father, however, was stretched thin by the time and distance separating them. It shimmered in the light, but otherwise was barely visible.

Anakin gasped at the astonishing sight. He moved closer examining the brilliant paths that glowed like Terellian moonlight. "This is the bond between you and Rick?" he asked, sensing its strength.

'It is. It is new, which is part of the reason why it is so bright. Also, during our various—adventures, I suppose, have poured a great deal of strength into tightening the bond."

Anakin shook his head in wonder before turning to the prince. "How do I strengthen the bond between myself and my wife and child?"

Instead of answering, Ardeth closed his eyes and gathered what magical energy he had left, then poured it into the bond. The bright path widened, and at the end they could now see an ornate door. Ardeth rolled his eyes when he saw the door. 'Nice, Rick. The door to the Council of Elders?'

'It's a neat lookin' door,' Rick's mind voice could be clearly heard defending his choice.

Anakin looked around slightly surprised to hear Rick's voice as well. But then he focused his energy and connection to the Force, trying to imitate Ardeth's actions on his own connection to Padmé.

Because they were already so close to each other, it took very little effort to strengthen the bond. Ardeth watched Anakin's work with a critical eye, nudging him a few times to redirect him.

Anakin heard Padmé stifle a gasp as she felt the sudden strong presence of her husband with her. At first, he was afraid for her, unaware of what had caused it, but as he began to see what she saw, he realized she was still safe with the two Jedi that had been assigned to her.

"Are you alright?" he heard one of them ask her.

"Yes I'm... I'm fine," she assured them. "The baby just kicked suddenly."

The Jedi bought her excuse.

Anakin sighed in relief as he realized what had happened. ‘Padmé, can you hear me? Just think the answer and I will hear it.’

'Anakin, how are you doing this? Are you in my mind?' Padmé asked, thoroughly confused.

'Ardeth is showing me how to talk to you through our bond, as he does with his brother,' the man explained.

'This is certainly fascinating, but it is rather difficult to talk to you and concentrate on where I am going.' Padmé told him, resting a hand on her stomach as the baby started kicking again. 'I think our child can sense your presence.'

Anakin smiled despite himself, much comforted by the feeling of proximity the bond gave him of their presence. 'Go ahead and focus on what you're doing Padmé. I'm here with you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or our baby,' he promised.

'All right, Anakin.' Padmé focused on where she was going just in time to avoid running into one of her escorts.

Anakin stifled a chuckle as he heard his wife pass it off as slight dizziness and then dismiss the comments from the others that maybe she should sit this meeting out. Then he turned and looked at Ardeth. 'Thank you.'

Ardeth smiled at him. 'It is my pleasure. You might want to go somewhere private to continue to talk to her, though, as it will look like you are not aware of anything around you. It takes practice to be in someone's mind and to be aware of the outside world at the same time.'

Anakin nodded and withdrew himself from Ardeth's mind, blinking and inhaling deeply at how odd it felt. He went to the door and let the healers and Obi-Wan back in.

As one of the healers moved between the boys, she pushed through their hands breaking their grasp for a moment. Rick’s eyes were wide and panicked as he practically crawled off of his cot to reestablish his hold on Ardeth’s hand. His breath and heart rate skyrocketed as the healers tried to hold him down on the cot for fear the boy might further injure himself.

"Let him go!" Ardeth commanded, enough authority in his voice that the healers obeyed immediately. The boy took Rick's hand again, shoving a healer out of the way, and poured calm through the bond. "I am here, Rick. We are safe now. Be still, my brother, and sleep."

Rick nodded, his fear-filled eyes closing in relief as he let his body fall back onto the cot. His breathing began to level out, but his grip on his brother's hand did not relax, determined not to lose Ardeth again.

The young prince looked up and met the eyes of the healers. "Do not do that again. Our bond was severed by that—that mask, and we both need the physical reassurance that we are together for now."

The healers all nodded and continued their work, but this time they were careful not to separate the boys. Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a sad glance at Ardeth's words.

"Did anyone grab the supplies he had in that cabinet so that we can properly dispose of them?" Obi-Wan asked, watching the healers work.

“We brought them to the Temple but there is a protection over it that only allows the Sith to have access to it,” another knight at Obi-Wan’s elbow replied. “It will take us a while to break though it.”

“So long as it is out of reach of the Sith. Come, Anakin. We need to go meet with the Council.” Obi-Wan watched the boys for another moment before turning away.

Anakin nodded. "Rest now Ardeth," he whispered to the prince before he turned to follow his former Master.

It didn't take Ardeth long to fall asleep, despite the work the healers were doing. He kept his hold on Rick's hand tight, though.


	12. Chapter 12

As Anakin followed Obi-Wan to the Council Chamber he was periodically connecting with Padmé to check on her safety and how the Senate assembly was going. As Ardeth had said, it was difficult to accomplish while he was in the process of doing something as simple as walking down a hall. Skywalker was trying to do this without weaving like a drunk or drawing the elder Jedi's attention.

After the third time he checked with Padmé, he came back to himself to find Obi-Wan staring at him, arms crossed, tapping his foot. "Anakin, what are you doing? Are you ill or hurt?"

"No," Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I guess I'm just tired." This much was true, he hadn't slept in two to three days, and in that time he had been worried sick about Rick and Ardeth and battled a Sith. This wasn't the reason he was stumbling along down the hallway, but he looked at Obi-Wan to see if his friend bought his excuse.

"Keep your secrets, then. But try to refrain from whatever you are doing while walking. You tried to walk out the window a moment ago."

"Wait Obi-Wan," Anakin bowed his head in shame. He hated having to lie to his friend, but he was still afraid of what he would think of him. He sighed slightly. "There's something I need to tell you."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, and relaxed his stance so that he didn't look quite so stern and impatient anymore. He guided Anakin into a small, empty classroom where they would have privacy. "What is it, Anakin? You know you can tell me anything."

Anakin chuckled nervously at Obi-Wan's seemingly benign statement. "Don't say that until you've heard what I have to say," Anakin breathed. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself. After a second, he was finally able to lift his gaze to meet the eyes of the man he considered his father and brother. Sorrow and shame shone in their depths, "Padmé and I are married. We're expecting our first child any day now." He held his breath, waiting to see how Obi-Wan reacted to the news.

Obi-Wan blinked, then relaxed and smiled. "I wondered when you were going to tell me. I guessed quite a while ago, Anakin. But what does that have to do with you trying to walk out the window?"

Anakin stared at his master dumbfounded. "You did know," he murmured after a second. "Then ...." he swallowed hard, bringing himself to ask a question to which he feared the answer, "then, you're not disappointed in me?"

"I was at first," Obi-Wan admitted, quietly. "But as the years went by, I could see how good you two are for each other. I also have been doing a lot of research into the Code as part of my duties as someone on the Council, and I have learned many interesting things."

As he listened to the master's words, he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders, and he found it was easier to breathe again. The release of fear took a visible effect too, as a good deal of the war-weariness and age fell from his face like a mask that had been stripped away. A small smile lit Anakin's face. "Thank you, Obi-Wan." He embraced Obi-Wan, relieved that he had not rejected him.

The Jedi Master chuckled a little. "It is my pleasure, Anakin. Next time you have something this big, tell me about it before you exhaust yourself."

Anakin’s smile grew bigger and he laughed out loud as he pulled away from Obi-Wan. “I will, I promise.” They resumed their way to the Jedi Council room and Anakin explained as they walked. “When Ardeth asked to speak to me alone, he taught me how to use the bond between Padmé and myself to see and hear what she sees and hears, like Rick and Ardeth are able to do with each other. This way I can listen in on the Senate meeting and make sure she’s safe. We don’t have to worry now about finding out secondhand and too late if Sidious pulls anything.”

"That is an excellent idea. Keep me updated, but for now, do not let the other Masters know. We will inform them of your adhering to the rules of the Old Code after this situation is dealt with, and when I have told you exactly what you have gotten yourself into."

Anakin grimaced. "Do we have to tell them at all?" The look on Skywalker's face was one that he hadn't seen since the war began and was slightly reminiscent of the nine year old boy he and his Master had brought with them to Coruscant all those years ago, the apologetic look he usually wore when he was trying to talk his way out of being in trouble. The statement was meant in jest and the younger Jedi smiled at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan grinned back. The smile made him look years younger also. "Now, my young former padawan, the Council should be informed that some knights and masters are choosing to obey the old Code."

Anakin smiled and nodded though he began to brace himself. He knew that the Council would probably not look favorably upon this and he wasn't looking forward to hearing Master Windu's opinion on it. "I'd say that Ardeth would be willing to back us up if he and Rick hadn't already gone through so much." They stood before the Council room doors.

"We will leave them out of this for now. But I will not leave you to stand alone, Anakin. Whatever the Council decides, I will go with you."

Anakin turned shocked to Obi-Wan. "But you are the best the Jedi has to offer! This has been your whole life!"

Obi-Wan's smile was sad, gentle this time. "I am honored that you think that of me, Anakin. But as a Jedi, I am sworn to follow the will of the Force—not the will of men who decide what the Force says, no matter how powerful or wise they are."

Skywalker nodded and smiled gratefully at his friend. "Thank you, Obi-Wan." He clasped his friend's arm. "I am proud to be your friend."

"And I am proud to be yours." Obi-Wan clasped Anakin's arm back, then sighed and straightened his shoulders, his serene mask falling back into place. "Let's get this over with."

Anakin too composed himself and the Jedi walked side-by-side into the Council room where the rest of the members sat waiting in their chairs. There was much discussion already pursuing as they tried to confirm the startling news that had been rippling throughout their order since Anakin had found the Med-jai in the Sith's possession.

Yoda nodded to both of them, smiling a little as though he knew what was going on. He banged his gimer stick on the floor, quieting the discussion.

The Council members fell silent. "The rumors we have heard have been quite distressing," Master Windu began. "But we must learn the truth now of what has happened. Anakin Skywalker, what have you found?"

As Anakin shifted a little, uncomfortable with thinking about this again, he felt a soft brush against his shields—from Obi-Wan.

As he turned to see Obi-Wan's encouraging nod, Anakin exhaled and lifted his eyes to meet that of the Council. "Supreme Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith lord. He was responsible for Rick O'Connell's and Ardeth's Bey's abduction. He was... torturing the boys for the secret of how they gained access to this very room when they arrived here."

"Disturbing, this is." Yoda said. "Any news, is there, from the Senators?"

Anakin took a second to check on Padmé's surroundings. His eyes became glazed for a second. The Council members looked at him strangely. "Anakin?" Mace's voice was stern and sounded slightly annoyed. This was no time for the boy to get distracted.

"Sidious is getting into position," Anakin murmured, his eyes and voice distant. "It's beginning."

"What is he saying? Can you repeat it back to us?" Obi-Wan asked urgently, turning on his datapad and accessing the news network. Palpatine's speech was being broadcasted.

Anakin's eyes widened in disbelief, and it took a second for him to repeat the words back for the Council to hear. "'This is a dark time, and betrayal lurks everywhere. It pains me to inform you that the Jedi Order has instructed some of its members to conduct an assassination attempt on my life so that they may control the Republic...'" The young man shook his head, horrified at the way the Sith was manipulating the Senate.

"This is being sent over every channel, right now. Everyone is going to hear this," Obi-Wan said, as he checked all of the news stations.

Tears began to sting the young man's eyes slightly as he continued. "'Desperate times such as these call for desperate measure. In order to thwart this treacherous act, I must ask you to join me to fight against these usurpers. I ask now more of you than I ever have before. I must retain full authority and emergency powers if we as a people are going to survive this crisis.’"

Obi-Wan stood and went to the windows. "Clones are gathering. The Temple is surrounded, and all air traffic is being blocked."

"'I am making the call to execute Order 66 to stem this treasonous tide. Martial law is in effect for the safety of all those who reside within the capitol. Though this attempt on my life has made me weak, I assure you my resolve has never been stronger. We will survive this storm to bring freedom, prosperity and peace to our galaxy again, to build a safe and secure new empire.'"

"Anakin, tell Padmé and the other Senators who will protest this to get out of there, now." Obi-Wan said urgently, watching as the storm troopers gathered around the Senate building as well.

Anakin did as Obi-Wan instructed and watched for a second as the Jedi body guards began to rush Amidala and the other allies the Jedi had to safety. As Skywalker pulled his consciousness back into the room, he stumbled for a split second, unused to the action and already physically and emotionally drained. His hand passed before his eyes, partly to deal with how overwhelmed he felt and partly to brush away the tears. Now he had to focus, or everything and everyone he cared about would be destroyed.

Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder at the silent Jedi Masters. "We have to find some way to get Ardeth and Rick home as soon as possible. We are going into a war even worse than the one we have been in."

“I agree Master Kenobi,” Mace said, but his brow was furrowed, “but how do you propose we go about doing that? The means they used to get here is still unknown to us. This is a magic that the Jedi do not possess or comprehend. And the Med-jai have been here for over a week, and yet they still have not been able to decipher from the original spell a way to transport them home.” Windu was not being argumentative and Obi-Wan knew this. He, too, wanted the boys safely away from the travesties that were about to befall their Order, but with clone troops besieging the Temple and Palpatine manipulating the Senate, they were out of time and out of options.

“I do not know. But we must keep them safe.” Obi-Wan was about to continue when they felt a surge in the Force. A tall man dressed in black robes appeared in the center of the Council room, right where Rick and Ardeth had first appeared.

He glanced around, noted the stares, and inclined his head politely. “Pardon the intrusion. I am looking for my sons.”

It took a moment for the members of the Council to gather themselves. "Your sons wouldn't happen to be Ardeth Bey and Rick O'Connell would they?" Anakin asked noting the markings on this man's cheeks were identical to those that Ardeth wore.

Everyone could feel the man's relief, although his face did not change. "Yes, they are. They are here, then? I have been looking for them since they disappeared over a week ago."

"Well, that solves that problem," Obi-Wan breathed to Mace as he approached the Med-Jai king. Though he was glad they would be able to safely get the two boys away from the fighting, he was saddened slightly that they would have to be returned to their father in their present condition. "Yes, sir, they are here. They have been staying and training with us since they appeared here, also a week ago."

Suleimon smiled a little. "Where are they? I need to get them home soon, so I can alert the tribes to stop searching for them."

Anakin bowed his head, sighing painfully. He walked up to Suleimon, his gaze serious as he spoke. "Your sons were taken by a Sith. He wanted them to tell him how they got into the Council room as you just did, but they wouldn't tell him. We recovered them but they are injured." He hated to bear ill tidings of the boys’ fate to their father, but he wanted the man to prepare himself for what he would see. "I will take you to them."

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, Suleimon sighed. “How badly injured are they this time?” the Med-jai king asked.

"Ardeth is injured physically more so than Rick," Anakin admitted. "But the greatest injury they both suffered, I fear, is psychological since Sidious was able to sever their bond at some point."

"How? There is no way short of death to sever a twin bond!"

"He used a Sith torture mask on Ardeth. It is designed to break a link between a Jedi and the Force. We believe it had greater affects than even the Sith had anticipated and that he took advantage of the situation." Anakin's voice was quiet as a silent rage began to burn in him against Palpatine for his treachery. He shook his head in pain, raising his eyes to Suleimon. "Come I will bring you to them. I'm sure it will give them both assurance to see you again."

As they walked through the halls from the Council chamber to the infirmary, they could hear distant explosions. The attack on the Temple was beginning. "What is happening?"

"We are under attack," Anakin explained. "The man who took Rick and Ardeth had been thought our ally. Palpatine is the leader of the Republic. He was..." his voice trailed off for a brief second before he forced himself to continue, "...a close friend of mine, or so he led me to believe, and then he betrayed us. He was only interested in gaining power and now he has convinced the Senate that we are the traitors and has ordered our extermination. Your arrival time is fortunate. We were trying to figure out how we were going to get the boys safely away before the Temple was overrun."

The king nodded. "Do your people have a place to go to escape this attack?"

"We have sent the padawans and apprentices away to different worlds for their own safety, but the rest of us will fight the Sith. If we lose this battle, we will take shelter throughout the galaxy where we may. But with the Temple surrounded..." Skywalker shook his head. "We've never planned for something like this."

They passed a large window, and through it they could see the size of the attacking force. Suleimon stared at the clones, fascinated with their armor. "This will be a difficult battle for you."

The Jedi nodded sadly. "Yesterday, we were fighting side-by-side. Now they are trying to erase us." He was more thinking out loud then addressing anyone in particular. He stopped before the room in which Rick and Ardeth were being cared for. "I am truly sorry that your sons got caught up in the middle of this," he breathed.

Suleimon met Anakin's eyes, his own expression grave. "I am a warrior, young man. I know the dangers that are present in any conflict, especially the dangers to the innocent. And my boys have an exceptional talent for attracting trouble. This is not your fault."

Anakin nodded. Though his expression remained grave, he was grateful that Suleimon didn't condemn him. "Thank you." He opened the door and led Suleimon inside.

As soon as the door opened, both boys woke from their sleep. "Father!" Ardeth said, fighting off the healers to try to sit up.

Rick also pushed himself up off the cot. "Dad!"

Suleimon moved over next to his boys embracing them in his arms but careful of their injuries. Rick let himself lean heavily in the king's embrace, his body trembling lightly.

"I am here, my sons. I am here." As Suleimon kept his arms tight around the boys, he poured what energy he could spare into healing them.

Anakin watched the reunion with a smile on his face, a wave of relief flowing through him. The boys were safe now. How ever this turned out for the Jedi, the boys would be safe now.

"How did you find us?" Rick whispered as he clung to his father. He had still not relinquished his grasp on Ardeth's arm, still not ready to let go of him yet.

Suleimon sat back a little, brushing his hand over Ardeth's cheek and gently resting his hand on top of their clasped hands. "You two were missing for nearly two days before Gen found the spell book. There was just enough spell residue in the room for me to trace and determine which was done. It took the rest of the time for the spell-crafters and me to find the return key for the spell."

Another explosion rocked the temple, but Rick was alarmed to sense it was much closer. "What was that?" he asked a small amount of trepidation in his voice.

"The temple is under attack," Anakin answered. "We need to get you out of here before the fighting reaches us."

Suleimon looked down and scowled at the monitors hooked up to the boys. He snapped his gaze up to the healers. "Remove those, at once!"

The healers looked at Anakin, who motioned for them to do as he said.

It took them a little while to unhook the boys, and the explosions were now almost constant. "Can you two stand? We need to be away from any furniture."

Rick and Ardeth nodded as they rose off the cots with some effort. Rick put his arm under his brother's to give him support as they got on their feet and moved in the center of the room. Anakin brought over the bin over to Suleimon. It was filled with the boys' weapons, including the lightsabers they had built. As the Jedi stood back giving them room, he smiled at the boys. "May the Force be with you," he said as he bowed in parting. They could hear distant blaster fire. Clone troops had breached the Temple security and made it inside.

"And with you. When we can, we will be back to help. Stay safe, Anakin Skywalker." Ardeth told the young knight, as Suleimon wrapped his arms around both boys.

"And you, as well," Anakin said smiling. His heart told him that Ardeth was right, though at the moment he did not anticipate surviving this raid. "I look forward to seeing you to again. Stay out of trouble until then."

The boy's grin was bright enough to make Anakin forget the ugly marks decorating his body, at least for a moment. "We will try, but I doubt that will happen!" Suleimon started speaking then. Power rolled through his words, dancing through the lilting language. The small family vanished.

"Until next time," Anakin whispered, smiling briefly before he ran out the door, turning back to the horror of the reality of their situation. His swift steps carried him through the Temple as he ran to fight the onslaught of the Sith's loyal army.

Rick, Ardeth, and Suleimon appeared in the king's study. Gen and Amir were dozing in the chairs, and they straightened immediately. Gen caught Suleimon, who was barely awake because of using so much energy, while Amir hurried to check on the boys.

Rick groaned as he looked over at Ardeth though in truth he had never been so happy to see their friends. Amir leaned over the boys and sighed, his brow creased with worry as he looked over Ardeth. He was glad to see that these wounds had been seen to but he applied a fresh layer of salve on some of the welts from the light whip and deeper lacerations the boy had sustained.

Ardeth tightened his grip on Rick's hand, trying not to squirm at the slight sting of the salve. "We're home, Rick."

"Yes, we are," he smiled back at his brother. "And we have cool swords!" he said trying to distract him for Amir's ministrations. He pulled a crystal he had swiped from their work bench out of the pocket of the Jedi tunic he was wearing and handed it to his brother.

The younger boy laughed a little at that. He closed his free hand over it, smiling at the warmth emanating from it.

Rick placed his hand over his brother's and muttered the light spell his brother had used back at the temple on the others. The light pulsed through the room, impossibly bright, catching the attention of the adults.

Suleimon sat up a little, with Gen's help. "What are you two doing?"

"Oh, nothing," Rick chuckled, an innocent smile on his face as he looked over at Ardeth.

Ardeth's innocent smile matched Rick's. Suleimon rolled his eyes. "Not back three minutes, and you two are already causing trouble. Well, I know the cure for that—extra lessons in responsibility of trying out spells!"

Rick grimaced. "Actually, it was my fault we ended up in that mess," he apologized, his eyes on the floor of the study. "Ardeth shouldn't be penalized because I made the mistake of reading the spell aloud."

The king shook his head. "We will talk more about punishments later, when you two are both recovered. Gen, would you go inform the search teams that the boys are safely back?"

"Yes, my king," Gen bowed before leaving the study.

Amir finished checking over Ardeth and moved onto Rick, who inhaled sharply as he removed his tunic so that the healer had access to his wounds.

Amir shook his head. "I do not even want to know how you received some of these injuries. But neither of you will be participating in any physical activities for quite some time."

Rick nodded, having known that was coming. He hissed in pain as Amir found and cleaned out a rather deep cut on his back.

Recovered enough from the transportation of the three of them, Suleimon moved to sit next to the boys. He put his hand over their clasped hands, examining their bond to make certain it hadn't been damaged when it was cut off

Rick and Ardeth felt his gentle probing, the memories of their experience flooding back. Rick shuddered and wrapped his arm around Ardeth's shoulder carefully, clinging to him all the more.

Suleimon tightened his grip on the boys, pulling them close to himself. "Shhh, you are safe now, my sons."

Rick nodded and held onto their father, breathing deeply as the idea that Palpatine could not reach them here began to take hold. With this release, his body began to slowly relax and he felt exhaustion tugging at his mind, pulling him into darkness.

"Sleep, Rick. No dreams tonight," Suleimon promised, resting his free hand on the boy's forehead.

As the boy's eyelids slid shut, Suleimon let his body rest against him as he turned to Ardeth.

Ardeth leaned against Suleimon, ignoring the way it pulled at his injuries. "I am so glad to see you again, Father"

"And I you," he said smiling as he bent to kiss his son's forehead. His fingers ran through Ardeth's hair as he had done since the prince was a small boy.

"How long were we gone from here?" The boy asked, relaxing some at the soothing motions his father was making

"You have been missing for a week now," the king answered. He exhaled deeply as he thought back over that week. He had chaffed at how long it had taken the spell smiths to come up with the return spell but knew he couldn't risk going after them until he was certain they would be able to return.

"We starting training there, with the Jedi. They are very similar to Med-jai, but some of their rules make no sense."

"Like what?" Suleimon asked as he settled against the cushioned back of the couch he was sitting on cradling his boys against his chest. Around then, Gen entered the room silently bringing food from the kitchens for the family to take their ease. He set Rick's portion aside when he saw the boy fast asleep in his father's arms.

"They are not allowed to form bonds with anyone—they are supposed to defend their galaxy, but never love."

Suleimon's brow furrowed in confusion. "That would seem incredibly counter-productive. How can they be called upon to fight if they have no bonds to give them the strength with which to fight?" He thought about the battle that even now the Jedi were fighting, and he sincerely hoped that they would not fall despite the incredible disadvantage they had dealt themselves.

"I don't understand it either. But Anakin, the knight in charge of training me, married in secret. He and his wife are going to have twins sometime very soon."

"He may have a greater store of wisdom than the rest. I pray that he survives to see his children's birth. They will give him strength." The king stopped stroking Ardeth's hair for a short moment to hand his son the food that Gen had set out for him, before taking some himself. Then, he returned to the motion that so soothed his son. "I know that you both give me greater strength."

Ardeth smiled at his father. "Later, when Rick is awake and we are allowed to move around, we will have to show you the weapons we made."

“Yes you will,” Suleimon replied, eyeing from his position the metal tubes that sat in the top of the bin at his feet. They were strange and almost looked like hilts that were missing the blade. As soon as they were done eating, Gen helped him carry the boys to their room. The men were careful to walk close to each other so the boys wouldn’t have to be separated. Gen was quite amused at the exasperated look on Ardeth’s face, knowing that the boy firmly objected to being carried no matter what physical condition he was in. After having set the boys down on their beds, Gen returned to fetch the weapons and Rick’s food to leave on his nightstand for when he woke up.

"Thank you, Gen," Ardeth murmured, as the man put Rick's food in easy reach.

"You're welcome Ardeth," Gen replied. He bowed to the royal family and then stepped outside to give them some privacy.

Suleimon held his son close. It was reassuring to him to have his son so near. "What am I going to do with the two of you?" he wondered out loud with a rueful smile.

Ardeth grinned at him. His eyes were starting to droop, though he fought the urge to sleep. "Well, you certainly cannot keep us locked in Kiriyah Gan—Rick will certainly find another way to get us into trouble."

Suleimon looked down at his son with an amused glance, quirking an eyebrow. "I seem to remember you getting into trouble many years before you even met Rick."

"That was in preparation, so that I would be able to keep up with him," Ardeth hid a yawn wincing as his muscles protested the movement.

"Oh, is that what it was?" his father smiled broadly at Ardeth's explanation as he continued to run his fingers through the boy's hair. "You were in training to wreak havoc? I think the Med-jai usually destroy such sources of chaos, do we not, my son?" He lay the boys down on their beds which still stood aligned with one another. Suleimon turned and kissed Ardeth's forehead, banishing any nightmares that might plague the boy's mind as he slept. "You are weary, my son. Sleep. No visions of darkness will visit you this night."

The boy obediently closed his eyes, pushing down the thrill of fear at the darkness. He tightened his grip on Rick's hand, trying to relax enough to actually fall asleep.

Through their bond, Suleimon could sense Ardeth's fear. He looked down sadly at his son. He moved to the other end of the room and began to move a sleeping couch closer to his sons' beds. Lying down on the couch, he stretched his arms out, placing one hand on Rick's back and the other hand on Ardeth's rubbing in light circles to calm their tensed bodies and spirits.

The boy jumped when Suleimon first touched him again and opened his eyes to stare at the king. "Father?" he asked.

"You've been missing for a week, my son," he turned sad eyes on Ardeth. "I need to have to both near me for a while." It was true. He certainly didn't mind staying with his sons for the night, and it was just as beneficial for him as it was for them.

"Thank you, Father," Ardeth whispered, and relaxed into his bed. With his father's soothing presence there, it took the boy seconds to fall asleep.

"No, thank you, Ardeth," the king whispered. As his hands lay on his sons' backs, he could feel the gentle rhythm of their breathing and the steady beat of their hearts. Their presence gave him a sense of peace as he watched the moonlight play on their faces for a while, dancing through the tree branches outside their window. They both seemed so young as the faces began to relax becoming unguarded. After a few minutes, the exhaustion he felt from a weeks worth of searching and worry for their safety, now that everything was once again as it should be, Suleimon fell asleep.

Gen peeked into the room a few minutes later and smiled when he saw all three of the royal family asleep. He knew that everything would be fine, now that the boys were safely home.


	13. Chapter 13

….1946, directly following The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Rick and Evy walked into the palace. "We're home," Evy cried out cheerily.

Rick grunted as he dropped all their luggage to the floor with a thud. He looked around at the massive pile of suitcases he had managed in one trip and raised an eyebrow. "I think I've become an expert at this," he muttered to himself as he gingerly stretched out his stiff back and arms.

"Rick, Evelyn, welcome!" Ardeth said, emerging from one of the secret passages and smiling at them. "How was your trip?"

Rick raised an eyebrow at his entrance from the secret passage wondering why he would have chosen that route.

Oblivious, Evy was beaming. "It was marvelous! We had quite an adventure. China is so beautiful!"

"Yeah, especially when you're fighting with an army of the undead against another army of undead," Rick commented dryly, though he had to admit he did enjoy himself. "Boy, have we got a tale to tell you. You would have loved the plane ride, too." His eyes sparkled wickedly.

The Med-jai king shuddered dramatically. "Now, my brother, you know what is said—if we were meant to fly, we would have wings! Come into my study. I think you have more to tell me, Rick. Such as why the bond nearly snapped."

Rick grimaced. "Yeah.... that," he said slowly. Evy assured him that she and the staff could handle taking the luggage to their room and Rick followed his brother and his king to the study.

"Sit, my brother," Ardeth gestured Rick to one of the comfortable chairs near the balcony. "Is there anything I can get you to refresh you from your journey?"

"No, I'm good, thanks," Rick assured him. "Well, Alex decided to stay in China. He found a girl there he's quite taken with." He chuckled as he spoke of it. "Jonathan’s run off to Peru though. He didn't even say good-bye. Heh, I just think he doesn’t want us to follow him. He says that we're mummy magnets... which I suppose is somewhat true."

"Ah, so Alex has finally found someone able to deal with him?" Ardeth shook his head. "I hope he comes to visit soon—Azizah misses her favorite cousin. I hope Jonathan is intelligent enough to avoid the jungle in Peru—my people there have reported that there are restless creatures there."

"Alex did promise he would visit soon," Rick answered, but as he heard Ardeth's comment on Peru he groaned and ran his hand through his hair. "Well if we haven't heard from Jonathan in a month, I may have to go after him," he said, shaking his head.

Ardeth shook his head, smiling. "I will inform my people to watch out for him, and try to keep him away from the creatures. Now, about the bond."

Rick sighed looking down as he remembered it. "A faction of the army in China decided to raise the Dragon Emperor that Alex discovered and we had to stop him. He was trying to find Shangri La. In order to do that, he would have to place a diamond on top of the gold tower thing called the Gateway of Shangri La. When the light hits the diamond it focused a beam pointing the way up the Himalayan Mountains to its hidden location. Alex figured if he blew up the pass, the Emperor wouldn't be able to get there, or at least that it might slow him down. The guy saw him getting ready to throw the dynamite and..." Rick's voice trailed off for a moment as the fear he had felt for his son at that moment hit him again full strength. But he pushed it back down reminding himself that Alex had not been hurt as the creature had intended. "... and he threw his sword at Alex to kill him. But I pushed him out of the way."

Ardeth sighed. "And so you took the blade yourself. How bad was it? I pushed all of the healing I could through the bond, but the distance hampered me greatly."

Rick's lips quirked into a half-smile. "You're probably the only reason I lasted long enough for Evy and Alex to bring me to the pool of eternal life before I died." He shook his head as he rubbed his hand over the scar on his chest and moved his arm to stretch the scar on his back. "Man, that was weird."

"You drank from the pool of eternal life? My brother, we are running out of ways to keep each other alive."

"Well, actually, I was unconscious by then. Zi Yuan, the witch guarding the pool poured it into my wound, but yeah, I'm always looking for new ways to cheat death," he grinned wryly. "It seems we end up having more lives than the mummies we take out, thank goodness."

"I was going through some of my old belongings last week, and I found these." Ardeth went over to his desk, and out of the secret compartment drew their old lightsabers. "I hid them after some of the little ones saw them and wanted to play with them."

A smile stretched across Rick's face as he took his from his brother's hand. He wondered if it still worked, uncertain how long the power source would last. His face brightened as he thumbed on the switch and the blade hummed to life. "Oh man, even Evy hasn't seen this! It has been so long." But then his face grew sad as he looked at it. "I wonder if they ever made it," he wondered quietly. It had been a terrifying thing to see Palpatine's wrath even when he was limited for fear of discovery. He couldn't imagine what it would be like once he had decided he didn't have to hide anymore.

"I know. I was wondering that myself." Ardeth ran a hand through his hair and smiled. "I think Anakin would be a little surprised at how much we have grown."

"Or that we're still alive after this long," Rick chuckled. "I wonder if his wife and kids are safe. And if Obi-Wan survived the raid. Or if the Council ever changed back to the old Code."

"Well, sometime when things are quiet here, we should go visit them. Now that we are adults and know both the transport spell and the spell to bring us home, I think it should be safe."

"Safe?!" Rick scoffed. "Considering our track record to date, can any circumstance truly be termed safe when it comes to us?" he asked teasing good-naturedly. "But you're right, we should visit sometime. It would be fun, and believe it or not, a nice calm uneventful life is down-right boring. Retirement is highly overrated."

At that, the king laughed. "You are bored of retirement already, my brother? That did not take long at all."

Rick was nodding vigorously. "Oh yeah. Even Evy was starting to go stir crazy."

"Which would be why you ended up in China. Well, you must speak to your wife about us possibly going to another galaxy."

Rick chuckled at the thought. "She may not buy it just coming from me. You may have to back me up or she'll think I'm trying to pull one over on her," he said as he rose from his seat, lightsaber in hand, moving to the door.

"Wait, my brother. You should wait until at least tomorrow to ask. If possible, wait until she's started another of my books."

Rick chuckled at that. “Okay, good idea.” Evy loved the library at Kiriyah Gan. And when she got involved in one of the many volumes of the library that Suleimon had passed down to Ardeth, she could be completely absorbed for days. It would keep her occupied while they were gone. Rick just didn’t want her going off on any adventures without him with her uncanny knack for getting into trouble. “She’s almost as bad about that as we are, and that’s saying something.”

“This is true.” Ardeth took the lightsabers and put them back into his desk. “This will keep them safe from the little ones, at least for now. They have yet to figure out this particular secret drawer.” The king smiled, shaking his head. “I will go inform Gen that you and I will be taking a trip to visit some old friends.”

Rick smiled in amusement to think of the Master Spy's reaction to this. "He's going to fear for our lives, especially since Dad's not here to stop us."

"I know. But as I am king, he cannot exactly stop me." Ardeth paused, considering that. "But then, you may want to keep the bond wide open, and if he knocks me out, hide yourself before he can find you."

Rick chuckled. "Of course not! I would never abandon my brother, especially to the hands trying to save him from our own natural folly!" he proclaimed as if vowing an oath of protection, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Ardeth rolled his eyes. "Of course, my brother. He should be in his office. This could get interesting. For an old man, he is very strong and fast."

Rick chuckled as they both entered the man's room. Ardeth was right, this would be interesting. O'Connell looked at the Med-jai whose office was littered with maps and messages brought to him by falcon of the many goings-on throughout the protected realms the sacred warriors kept. There seemed to be no method, no rhyme or reason to the heaps of various scraps of paper but Rick had been astonished, from his youth even up to this point how Suleimon or Ardeth had called for a specific piece of information garnered by his Master Spy, and the man in five seconds or less always retrieved it, know exactly where it was at all times. Even age had not diminished Gen's uncanny abilities to do this on a moment's notice.

"Good afternoon, Gen," Ardeth said, as he found a chair that wasn't holding stacks of paper and sat down. "How is your training of your apprentice going?"

Gen looked up from a message he was scrawling out to one of the Med-jai Commanders and smiled broadly at the king. "It is going well. Khalid is incredibly skilled. His ability for gathering information at his young age is impressive. He will make a great Master of Spies someday." Gen beamed like a proud father, and then smiled conspiratorially. "But do not tell him I told you so. He does not yet know I am considering recommending him for this position."

Ardeth smiled. "Excellent. I will have to join his class in sparring soon and evaluate him there. Tell me, my old friend, is there any crisis brewing that will come to a head within the next week or so?"

Gen quickly filtered through the information in his head. "No, my king," he replied after a few moments. "The red temple guards are still licking their wounds from their last failed incursion against us. Truth be told, I believe they're still reeling from their loss in Ahm Shere." Here he grinned at Ardeth and then Rick, his gaze remaining with the older brother for a moment. "And I heard of what you did in China. With the emperor destroyed completely, we have no cause to expect any trouble from his followers any time in the near future if at all. My other sources tell me that the sacred sites are in the normal state of disquiet but no more than usual to suggest provocation. I believe we will have time for a—how did you put it Rick—'a breather'?"

“Well, that works out, then. Tomorrow, Rick and I are going to visit some old friends, and we will be out of touch for a round a week, possibly less.” The Med-jai king said, leaning back in his chair and watching the spymaster warily.

Gen caught what the king was not saying, and his eyes narrowed. "And in the unlikely event that something does come up, where might I reach you?" he asked, his gaze suspicious as he leveled it at the brothers.

Ardeth considered that a moment, stroking his beard. "You will be able to reach me through Azizah. She is strong enough that she should be able to get a short message to me through our bond."

Gen nodded slowly his keen eyes never leaving the two of them. He sighed slightly, concerned about what the king and his brother had in mind. But it was obvious that Ardeth was not going to tell him where he was headed, and he knew it was not his place to question the king's judgment. However as a long time friend, he worried about the familiar look he saw in his eye as he spoke of this trip. "Very well, your Majesty. If I have need of you, I will let the princess know," he said in resignation, slipping into formalities to mask his frustration and his concern.

"Thank you, Gen," Ardeth stood. "Let me know if you need anything, or any help training Khalid."

"I will, your Majesty," he said gratefully as the twins rose and left the room. Unable to restrain himself, he called out after them just as they were closing the door, "Be safe in your journeys, Ardeth, Rick!"

"We will be careful, Gen. I promise." Ardeth said, flashing a brilliant smile before leaving.

Gen rolled his eyes, shaking his head and throwing up a prayer to the heavens that God would look after them.

Outside the door Rick chuckled. "You'd think he was worried about our well being for some reason," he commented as if Gen's fears were odd and unfounded.

"I wonder what could possibly cause him concern," Ardeth smiled back. "Come, let us go watch the boys at their training—the group working with scimitars right now is the one Khalid is in."

Rick nodded following Ardeth out to the sparring grounds.

Several warriors were watching as the boys fought each other, calling out corrections to movements. Ardeth surveyed the mass of dusty boys, then pointed to the far corner. "There—the small boy. That's Khalid."

Rick watched as the young apprentice practiced. "He's coming along quite well. Gen was right. His skills are impressive."

"He is much better with a dagger, and amazing at the stealth training. I doubt he will grow much more, which will leave him at the perfect size for what he will be doing. Right now, he is still young—he wants to work to be a commander of the army."

Rick smiled. "I'm sure if he continues at this rate, he may well earn that rank." He turned with a wicked glimmer in his eye. "We may have to recruit him for some special assignments like we used to do with Gen."

"I intend to. But I have to wait before I approach him—he is still quite nervous around me," Ardeth shook his head.

Rick chuckled and nodded. Since he had known Ardeth from childhood, he had to keep reminding himself of the position he held. It was easier know that they were older and that it became more visible in the duties Ardeth now had as king. When they were younger, he had never really thought of him in terms of status, class, or rank. His being royalty was just a fact of life to him that had no bearing on how Rick approached him.

"Well, shall we go see what your wife is up to? I'm certain she is wondering where you went off to."

Rick nodded, smiling, as they went off to find Evie. Rick and Ardeth found her in the O'Connell's chambers sitting and pounding away furiously at the keys of a type writer. Evelyn had freshened up from their journey and was wearing a flowing blue robe of Med-jai women. Rick loved this gown on her, and his smile broadened as he noted with pleasure the way it complimented his wife's figure. Evie was already fast at work writing out the plot for the third book she had promised the publishers in her Mummy series.

"Dash and Scarlet's third adventure?" Rick guessed as he walked up to the desk she was sitting at.

"Ah, yes, my spies were highly amused when they informed me of these books, and how the adventures with the Creature worked to your benefit." Ardeth said.

Evie smiled warmly at them both. "Steeped in stories, people began to pass off the sacred sites as fairy tales and legends. Perhaps this will have the same effect," she joked before turning back to the typewriter and the outline she was working on. "I wanted to get the details out while they were still fresh in my mind."

Rick stood behind his wife and leaned over her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder, following her gaze to the page she was working on. "So how long do you think writing this story will take you, honey?"

"I'm not certain yet. Probably not long--the whole thing is still very fresh. What are you and Ardeth up to?"

"Well, Ardeth and I were thinking about going see some old friends for a little while," Rick said as he tilted his head from his position to look at his wife. "We wouldn't be gone for too long, I'd probably be back before you've even finished up your first draft," he said motioning to the typewriter.

"All right, then. I hope it will be somewhere safe?"

Rick grimaced inwardly, but held his countenance on the outside. "Honey, am I anything but safe when Ardeth's there to look after me?"

Evie rolled her eyes. "You don't want me to answer that. We'll talk more later—now shoo for a bit, I need to concentrate."

Rick kissed his wife's forehead briefly before standing and leaving the room. As he walked out into the hallway, he shook his head. He didn't quite like his odds on Evie's permission for this. "Nuts, this could go either way," he breathed once he was out of hearing range of the door.

"With any luck, she will become so fixated on her new story that she forgets about the whole thing. Well, what would you like to do now?"

"Probably," Rick said nodding with Ardeth's assessment. Then a mischievous smile stole over his face. "I'll race you to the waterfalls! Last one in's a rotten egg!" With that, he took off down the corridor.

Ardeth laughed, and leisurely turned around. Rick hadn't specified how they had to get to the waterfall—he slipped into a secret passage he had found a few years ago and followed it to the end. When Rick finally got to the waterfalls, Ardeth was lying on a boulder, his robe neatly folded next to his boots.

Rick screeched to a halt as he saw Ardeth already waiting for him. "Aw, man! Stupid secret passageway!" He shook his head in disgust before he took off again throwing himself into the pool, fully clothed, doing a cannonball as he hit the water and sending a tidal wave of water to drench his brother.

As Rick surfaced, looking to laugh at his drenched brother, he couldn't see Ardeth anywhere. Then, two muscled hands were on his shoulders, shoving him under the water.

Rick used Ardeth's momentum against him, pulling the King down into the water after him. Then, he used his footing on the gravely rock bed to flip Ardeth over and switch their positions to where Rick was on top, wrestling with his brother.

Ardeth took advantage of this to demonstrate some of the new wrestling moves he had learned. By the time the two surfaced for air, they were both half-drowned.

As soon as Rick could catch his breath he was laughing uncontrollably. He pulled himself to where he was leaning back against the shore, relaxing as he let his head fall back against the bank and sighing deeply. "It's good to be home," he said contentedly as he closed his eyes letting the sun warm his body in the cool water.

"It is wonderful to have you home, my brother." Ardeth stretched out next to Rick, after wringing out his hair.

Rick pushed himself up on his elbows. "So now you've heard about our trip to China. How have things been around here with you?"

The king shrugged. "A few incidents—some of the young men in the Red Guards are trying to prove themselves by sneaking into the lesser sacred areas and stealing items. We've caught them, and a few have changed their minds."

Rick nodded as he listened. "Well that's good to hear. You're still winning their numbers over to our side," he chuckled lightly remembering back to the results of the adventure they'd had when they first met. They'd won eight red guards because of the mercy Ardeth had shown.

"I know. Gen spent a lot of time with them, and they were able to give us some useful information."

“That’s excellent,” Rick said. “The more we know about their moves and plans ahead of time, the more lives we can save.” He sighed heavily. They had lost a lot of good men during the battle with the Army of Anubis outside of Ahm Shere. In some ways even after over a decade, they were still recovering from it, though not as badly as the red guards were. Rick had been into battle many times, as had Ardeth, and they both greatly mourned the loss of every man under their command. “There’s been enough death.” Rick’s face seemed to age a great deal in that moment, looking older than his forty-three years, and his eyes held a deep sorrow.

“Yes, there has been more than enough death.” Ardeth sighed deeply, running a hand over his beard. “You know, of course, that Azizah was engaged to Atiq. Well, they got married several years ago, and my daughter has given me twin grandsons. They are almost a year old, and already showing inclinations of carrying on our traditions of trouble.”

Rick groaned running a hand over his face, though a smile touched the man's lips. "Heaven help them! The world is not ready for another pair of twins to get into as many jams as we did.... well, still do," he amended the statement turning to look at his brother. "How is Azizah handling this?"

"She is enjoying every minute of it. Actually, she and her family will be dining with us tonight. I'm certain that she wishes to speak with Evelyn, as your wife is the closest to a mother that she has." Ardeth took a moment to calm the sharp flash of pain that still flooded through him when he thought of his beloved wife and son. "But her blessing us with the twins is a relief, actually—now Council of Elders will stop pestering me so much to find another wife to have more heirs, or to find some way to get Alex back here to finish his training."

Rick chuckled at that. "That will help to take some of the pressure off of you. It will be good to see Azizah again. And how do you like your son-in-law?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. It had been hard enough for him to adjust to Lin and his son being an item. He could imagine how much more difficult it would be to trust someone with their only daughter.

"Atiq is a good man—he is leader of one of the tribes, so he is often away. Thus far, he has only done what is best for our people and for Azizah." The king's smile was bright. "I imagine he has a difficult time of it, as everyone is watching him to make certain he does not hurt Azizah in any way."

"Yeah, no pressure," Rick laughed. "It's good to know she has a good man watching over her, or I might have to hunt him down myself," he joked as he rose, wringing the excess water out of his shirt. "That is if Alex didn't get wind of it and beat me to him. Seriously though, I look forward to meeting him. I assume he'll be there at dinner tonight too?"

Ardeth nodded. "Yes, he will. Do not be surprised if he greets you by promising never to harm Azizah—he has taken to doing that every time I introduce him to someone, as they all threaten him."

"Then I will try not to disappoint him," Rick's eyes flashed wickedly.

"I warn you, do not go too far with your threats. Azizah has become annoyed with all the people stalking her husband, and has been making use of her own skills to deal with those people. And you know how good she is with any blades."

Rick laughed and nodded. "How could I forget?" he commented, rubbing his shoulder. He held up his hands to reassure his brother. "Don't worry, I was just joking. I'll be on my best behavior tonight. I promise."

Ardeth nodded. "That is good. Come, let us go up to the mountain peak—the builders just finished a watch post that we can use to watch for any enemies."

Rick nodded and followed Ardeth to the tower, throwing his hair forward and back, smoothing it against his head as he walked. The water droplets thrown caught Ardeth, and as he turned to look at his brother, O'Connell assumed an overly innocent face and began whistling nonchalantly.

Rolling his eyes, the younger man turned sharply away--which sent water from his own, much larger mass of hair, straight into Rick's face.

Rick just smiled as he wiped his face with his already dripping-wet sleeve, making the object more or less moot.

It didn't take the two warriors long to get to the top of the trail. Two young scouts were in the stone guardhouse, both dressed in loose brown robes and not wearing anything metal that would give away their position.

Rick waved at the two men as he passed them. He knew them well and had even had a hand in part of their training when he had been available. They nodded to Rick after bowing formally to the king.

"Before we go up, take off anything metal. We cannot afford to give away any of our secrets to those passing by."

Rick took out the small pen knife Ardeth had given to him all those years ago. But this was the only thing metal in his possession at this moment. He had left all his munitions in the trunk in his room partly because the number of them was far too great to carry around as his brother had predicted it would eventually be, also because he had known ahead of time that someday today he was going to race Ardeth to the pool.

Ardeth stripped his belt and reverently laid his scimitar aside. He also took off his necklace, then threw a mild camouflage spell over both of them.

Rick looked out over Kiriyah Gan, impressed by what he could see from this height. The tower was tall, but it blended in with the rest of the mountain that protected the Med-jai refuge. He could see the desert beyond that spanned as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Ardeth pointed out a caravan, traveling through the desert, just at the edge of what they could see. "There is a common trade route there. People come ever closer to our refuge—soon we will have to find more active ways to hide ourselves. Already planes search for any oasis, and they have come perilously close to finding the City several times."

Rick sighed heavily. "The world is growing too small for us to hide in." He turned to Ardeth. "Aren't there any magics that can shield Kiriyah Gan from detection?"

"I do not know. The spellsmiths are searching through the ancient books, and I am as well, when I have the time. For now, we are doing our best to mask our presence, hiding the buildings in the valley and making the mountains appear impenetrable."

"That'll hold us over for a spell," Rick said thoughtfully. "I'll look through my tomes, though I doubt there are any incantations in there you haven't already considered. Until then, I'll try and see if I can use what connections Evy and I have to try and steer as much traffic away from here without drawing undue attention."

Ardeth nodded. "We would appreciate that. Come, let's get back to the palace."

Rick nodded and fell in step behind Ardeth as they headed back down the mountain into the hidden valley.

The king took Rick back through the secret passage he had used, letting his twin get a feel for how much the passages had expanded in the years he had been gone.

"Man, it's like the city grew overnight," Rick mused quietly.

Ardeth glanced at him. "You have been gone for many years, my brother. Things do change with time."

Rick shook his head with wonder and regret. "It's been too long. I've missed being home." He said letting his hand slide over a smooth marble column that adorned Ardeth's bedchambers into which the secret passageway led. "It's just not the same in England," he said somberly as he looked sideways at his brother.

"Cold and wet—I do not like England very much, my brother. Do you believe Evie is ready to make this your permanent home?"

"I sure hope so," Rick said, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "I'm gonna have to ask her about that tonight. Though, I think so. She's sick of retirement too, and while we were in China, we promised each other never to go into retirement again." He grinned at his brother. "I mean come on! Fly-fishing? Where's the fun in that?"

"What exactly is this fly fishing? A new torture method?" Ardeth asked, opening his closet and taking off his soaked clothing. Rick could see the new tattoos slowly filling the king's back, along with many new scars.

Rick had been about to answer, but as his eyes lighted on the scars, he frowned. "What happened to you?" he asked gravely, concerned, but trying his best not to sound like Amir had as he had examined them when they had been younger.

Ardeth glanced over his shoulder, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked, pulling out a fresh set of clothing.

Rick's eyes moved pointedly from Ardeth's face to the healing wounds on his younger brother's back, and he jerked his head at them to make his meaning clear. His brows were knit as he lifted his gaze to meet Ardeth's again.

"Oh, those. From one of the incidents I told you about. Loch-nah had several relatives, and they declared a blood feud with me."

Rick closed his eyes and shook his head. "It lives on," he murmured. "Haven't they done enough?" His tone was frustrated. He looked down at the floor for a moment. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Ardeth shrugged. "I dealt with them, and the tribe with me dealt with the rest of the guards traveling with them. It was a heavy blow for the Red Guards—because of the blood feud, they lost most of their leadership."

Rick nodded but then he changed topics quickly knowing that Ardeth's dealings with Loch-nah and his clan would be painful for his brother to think about. "Yes, fly-fishing might as well be torture." He turned and looked Ardeth a rueful grin on his face. "I'm just glad you weren't there to witness it. I would never have lived it down."

As soon as he said that, Ardeth grinned. Rick had no warning before his twin slipped into his mind, trying to find the fly-fishing adventure.

"Hey!" Rick cried jumping back, swatting his hands through the air as if to ward someone off. "Get out of there!" he yelled hiding away his memory as quickly as he could and picking up a pillow near at hand and tossing it at his brother.

Caught off guard by the pillow, Ardeth fell out of the bond, laughing. "So determined to keep your secret, my brother?"

"That's right," Rick said nodding vigorously as he gave Ardeth a withering glare. "You've got way too much material on me as it is!"

The king grinned, and finished changing. "Are you going to get changed, or stay in your wet things?"

"I'll stay in these," Rick said, straight-faced. "These are fine."

"Very well. Come, let's collect your wife, it is nearly sunset and time for dinner."

Rick laughed. "Alright fine, I'll get dressed for dinner," he said now that Ardeth had called his bluff. As he walked out the door, he turned and looked at his brother, "I'll see you there soon."

Ardeth found a towel and dried his hair before combing it. Azizah would tease him mercilessly if he came to dinner with his hair all messed up, and offer to take care of it for him.

Rick walked down the hall to his room and began to change out of his soggy clothes, bringing Evy no end of relief when she saw her husband sopping wet as he sloshed his way into their chambers. "Hey, honey. How's the book coming?" he asked casually not even acknowledging how she was gaping at him, her mouth hanging wide open. He quickly began to change into a dry set of clothes.

"It's going quite well, really. What happened, Rick? Were you attacked?"

"Not really, well I was wet before I got attacked," Rick said as he thought back to his and his brother's wrestling match. "Ardeth and I just took a little swim." Rick came out drying his hair, now with fresh clothes on, and moved to sit on a chair so he could pull on a fresh pair of boots.

Evie shook her head. "You two always act like boys when you get together!" Her voice was severe, but she was smiling. "What's the rush in getting dressed?"

"What would be the fun of acting like adults?" Rick gave his wife one of his charming smiles. She hadn't noticed how much time had passed since they had returned. "It's almost time for dinner. And I don't know about you, but I am starved."

"Oh, yes, I suppose it is nearly dinner time, isn't it?" She stood up from her typewriter, and stretched.

"Azizah and her family are going to be there tonight. Ardeth said she's really looking forward to seeing you again. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Oh, it will be wonderful to see Azizah again! It's been quite a few years! Yes, I'm ready."

Rick kissed his wife's hand gently as he took it to walk with her out of the room.

Evie smiled up at him, and stepped closer to him. It was wonderful being back in the safety of Kiriyah Gan.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning Rick snuck out of his room noiselessly with a pack over his shoulder. He had left a note for Evy explaining where he and Ardeth were going and hoped she would have calmed down by the time she got back. Part of him had wanted to take her along, knowing she would savor the adventure, but after what they had suffered at Sidious' hand, he would not risk that Sith getting anywhere near his wife. He pulled the door to turning the knob at the last minute so it wouldn't even click into place. 'All set,' he called through the bond to Ardeth.

'Meet me in my study—I am preparing an emergency pack for each of us, and we will retrieve our lightsabers before we leave.'

Rick nodded as he slipped into a secret passage that would take him to the study. Rick breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he reached the room. "You would not believe how light a sleeper my wife is. Every time she rolled over I was sure she'd caught me."

Ardeth laughed, tossing Rick a pack and his lightsaber. “I wonder why she has become such a light sleeper? Something to do with the jokes you play on her, perhaps?”

Rick caught the pack easily, an innocent look on his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said as he shouldered the bag and clipped the lightsaber to his belt. He opened a trunk that he had moved into the study yesterday, choosing a small number of weapons to bring with him, just in case they did end up running into trouble. He quickly shoved a couple of Walthers into the pack, placed a Russian PPS-43 into the holster strapped across his back, and ammunition rounds into his back pack.

Ardeth clipped his own lightsaber next to his scimitar, and hid several daggers under his robes, along with one gun. He watched as Rick armed up, trying not to laugh.

Rick noticed his brother's attempts to hide his amused smile. "What?" he demanded defensively. "I'm traveling light!"

"I am very glad that your wife finally broke you of the habit of sleeping with all of your weapons." Ardeth told him, pulling out an ancient spell book.

Rick chuckled. "Yeah, imagine that. She found it hard to sleep with a Colt .45 in the bed? What's with that?" He grinned. Truth be told, it had taken him a while to get used to this, but once he did, even he slept better without the hard metal objects to wake him in the middle of the night. Although, they only moved out of the bed and onto the nightstand.

"Are you ready, my brother?" Ardeth asked, reviewing both the spell to take them to their destination, and the one to bring them home. "Have you memorized the spell to bring us home yet?"

"Ready," Rick said nodding. He had been up most of the night memorizing it, though it hadn't really been necessary since he had done so years ago in case they needed it, so the spell easily came back to him. Still he had wanted to be sure.

Beckoning Rick closer, Ardeth wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders before glancing around the room to make certain there was nothing he had forgotten. A note on his desk told Gen where they had gone, and gave the man permission to do what was necessary in the king's absence. The spell book was open to a page holding a spell that Azizah could use to contact them in an emergency. Ardeth turned his attention back to Rick, and smiled. "Here we go again," he whispered, before narrowing his eyes and showing off his skill by silently activating the spell. There was a blinding flash of light and both Rick and Ardeth vanished from sight.

On one of the main ships in the rebel fleet, Anakin walked into his family's quarters after a long meeting with the leaders of the Rebellion. The emperor was striking out at them hard, and it was going to be difficult to find a foothold in his defenses. The Sith was no fool. Of course that had always been apparent, even before Palpatine had shown his true colors. But the fact that they seemed to be able to gain no ground whatsoever on his was frustrating, and after all these years, Skywalker was becoming weary. He pulled up a holographic projection of the latest intel their spies had brought them. Before him floated an image of the huge space station that Sidious was constructing in secret. Anakin prayed that they had truly discovered this information and that Palpatine hadn't allowed this secret to be known to them. Palpatine was a master of misinformation, and it would be just like him to seemingly let something like that slip into Rebel hands to give him an advantage. Anakin studied it for a long while before running his hands through his hair. He was exhausted, not having slept for the past few days.

"Father?" Luke's young voice interrupted Anakin's thoughts, as the eighteen-year-old peeked out of his room. "Something is happening with the Force, Father. It woke me up."

Anakin turned to his son as he felt the roiling waves of the Force hit him. There was something familiar about the sense though he couldn't quite bring to mind why, and moved over to Luke standing near him protectively in case it was some trick of the Sith. His eyes roamed their small dwelling, alert, his lightsaber instantly in his hand.

A brilliant flash of light filled the room as the Force storm came to a head and stopped abruptly. Two men appeared in the center of the room.

Anakin blinked trying to get his sight back into focus having been momentarily stunned by the light standing defensively in front of his son. As his vision cleared, he saw the two and they seemed very familiar to him.

Rick was looking around, not recognizing their new environment. For a second he was afraid they had misjumped again. "Aw man, are you sure we're in the right place?—" but as he saw the lightsaber, his instinct prompted him to draw his.

Ardeth turned quickly, and his black eyes met Anakin's gaze. "Be still, my brother," the king said, resting a hand on Rick's arm. "We are where I intended us to arrive—near Anakin."

Anakin blinked at the two in surprise, his mouth hanging open for a moment in astonishment. "Ardeth? Rick?" A smile lit his face, and he deactivated his lightsaber, clipping it on his belt as he moved to embrace his friends. He stepped up to Ardeth first. "I can't believe it! It's good to see you both again."

"Hello, Anakin. It's been a few years," Ardeth said, voice wry, hugging the man. Anakin was still taller than he was, but their height difference was not nearly as noticeable as it had been.

Anakin leaned back and looked the king up and down a moment. "You've grown a little since the last time I saw you," he commented, then turned to Rick, who embraced him in turn.

Rick clapped the Jedi on the back. "We told you we'd come back," he said warmly.

Anakin pulled back, shaking his head. "Well this is a welcome surprise." He turned motioning Luke over. "Ardeth, Rick, I like you to meet my son Luke. Luke, this is Ardeth Bay and Rick O'Connell," he said by way of introduction. "They trained at the Temple for a short while a long time ago."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Luke," Ardeth said, bowing slightly to the young man. "Tell me, Anakin, how have you been these many years?"

Anakin's face darkened a little at this question. "We're still fighting. It's been eighteen years and we still haven't managed to bring Sidious down yet." He motioned for them to have a seat and make themselves comfortable. Taking a seat himself he rubbed his hand over his face. "A very small number of Jedi managed to escape from the Temple the day of the massacre. We've been working ever since to try and defeat him; but despite the fact that he revealed sooner than he wanted, he was well prepared to fend us off, especially after he nearly exterminated us that day." He sighed heavily. "It has not gone well."

Ardeth nodded gravely. He did not have to extend his senses far to feel the overwhelming evil from the Creature. "How far are we from him, right now?"

Anakin punched up a few buttons on the holoprojector in his table pulling up a star map. It displayed the galaxy. The Jedi Master pointed to the coordinates they were at. "We're orbiting the planet of Yavin, in the middle of the Gordian Reach, approximately 9000 parsecs away from Coruscant. At least we believe that is where the Emperor currently is." Anakin traced the distance between them and the galactic capitol through the air with his hand.

Glancing over at Rick, Ardeth sighed softly. "That is not a good sign, then, as I am able to clearly sense his evil from here. The Creature is even more powerful than before."

"Yeah," Anakin breathed, turning off the projection and resting his head in his hands.

"How is it that the bad guys always seem to do that?" Rick groaned. He looked down deep in thought. "He's got to have a weakness. How many Jedi survived that day?"

"Of those of us left in the temple, not even a quarter. Less than half of the Council made it out. If we hadn't already sent away all of our non-fighters, we would probably have been completely wiped out." Anakin told them, running a hand wearily over his face. Luke sat next to his father, leaning on the taller man, offering Anakin what comfort he could.

Rick looked at Ardeth, shaking his head. Although they both knew what Sidious was capable of, it was staggering to think of so many strong Jedi overcome as if they had never existed.

"We've won a few victories here and there by subterfuge and stealth, but as many blows as we've dealt him we've taken back ourselves," Anakin sighed.

Before Ardeth could offer their service in helping fight against Palpatine, Anakin drew himself up, and smiled. "But enough about that. What have you two been up to the past several years? Have you managed to stay out of trouble?"

Rick ducked his head to hide his amused smile and then turned to look at Ardeth. He shook his head as he turned back to Anakin. "Not really, no. But we did manage to survive to adulthood. Our Dad was always telling us he was shocked at this accomplishment."

"Not just Father, everyone was always telling us that!" Ardeth shook his head. "My people still insist on my having a full escort whenever I go anywhere. Rick at least is able to escape them most of the time, but it is very difficult for me to slip away."

Rick looked apologetically over at his brother. "I actually got married. My wife's name is Evelyn. And I have a kid of my own now." Here, he nodded at Luke. "His name's Alex. He's probably about your age, too."

Luke grinned. "Is he coming here too?" the boy asked, hiding a yawn.

"No, I am afraid not—not unless he goes to Egypt, finds the spell, and remembers enough of his training to cast it," Ardeth said, smiling. "I have a daughter of my own, and she is a little younger than Rick's son. She is married herself, with twin boys."

Anakin tilted his head in confusion. "'How is this possible? Luke and his twin sister were born a day or two after you left. It's only been a little over eighteen years since then. And you two were around fifteen at the time."

"That would be the time aspect of the spell. I wondered why the spell smiths put in a time-stabilizer," Ardeth murmured. "For us, it has been almost 28 years."

Anakin's eyebrows raised as he did the math quickly in his head. "But that would mean..." his voice trailed off as he looked at the two. "...that you're both older than me now." He shook his head. "Oh that's weird!" Anakin looked pointedly at Ardeth. "I helped to train you and now you're older than me! Wait until Padmé hears about this! Wait until she sees you guys again! The last time she saw you was at that transport platform on Coruscant!" He smiled broadly.

"This could be entertaining." The Med-jai king said, exchanging a glance with Rick. "Yes, it will be wonderful to see your wife again. Did Obi-Wan make it out of the Temple?"

"Yes, thank goodness," Anakin answered with a sigh of relief. "He's off coordinating our forces and contacts along the Outer Rim. I would have gone, but we both knew that would play into Palpatine's hand since he knows where I'm from. He'll have eyes watching for me there and assassins lying in wait to take me out. Obi-Wan can be a little less conspicuous at times."

At that moment, the door opened and two women stepped into the room, one of them older, and Rick and Ardeth recognized her immediately. Rick rose to his feet as the ladies entered the room, a habit he had acquired when he had met Evelyn. Both women stopped when they saw the strangers in their living quarters.

Ardeth had risen at the same time as Rick, and he bowed formally to Padmé and Leia. Anakin laughed at the expressions on their faces and stood himself. "Padmé, Leia, some old friends of mine have . . . dropped in for a visit. Padmé, you remember Ardeth Bey and Rick O'Connell. Ardeth and Rick, this is my daughter Leia."

Padmé smiled in recognition at the two. "It's good to see you both again. It has been many years since we met."

'More for us apparently,' Rick commented to Ardeth through the bond as he greeted them with a smile.

Leia looked at the two appraisingly. She was a cautious individual, but also diplomatic and greeted them in her turn. Her appearance mirrored that of her mother. Though neither were as regally dressed as Padmé was the last time the Med-jai had seen her. Their clothes were simple and practical, but they still had an elegance about them in their mannerisms and the way they both carried themselves. Anakin kissed his wife and daughter and then wrapped his arms around Padmé as he stood.

"Can I get either of you anything to eat or drink?" Padmé offered. "You must have had a long journey."

"Something to drink would be appreciated," Ardeth said, hiding his smile at the thought of their journey. 'I doubt she would believe us, that our journey took only about thirty seconds,' the king said, through the bond.

'Probably,' Rick agreed as Padmé moved into the kitchen area to get a couple of drinks for them. Then he almost burst out laughing as he saw Luke and Leia looking at he and his brother in amazement as they sensed them speaking to each other through their bond.

"Wow, you can do that too?" Luke asked them.

Anakin chuckled. "Ardeth's the one who taught me how to do that with you, your sister, and your mother."

Ardeth smiled at Luke and Leia. "Among my people, such a bond is common among twins, and though we do not look it, Rick and I are twins."

"Twins?" Leia asked incredulously.

Rick smiled. 'We get that reaction a lot, don't we?'

'Yes, my brother, we do. It might have something to do with the fact that you are older than me, and your hair is beginning to turn gray,' Ardeth barely hid his grin.

Rick gave his brother a withering glare. 'I'm still taller than you,' Rick challenged using the competition they had had over their many years. This competition he had won by two inches, but he was proud of this albeit small victory and he teased Ardeth about it good-naturedly. 'And my hair is not gray.' He turned to Leia. "My twin brother died at birth, and his soul was reborn in Ardeth Bay."

The girl glanced from Rick to Ardeth and back again. "How exactly does that work?"

Rick shook his head. "I don't know. Ardeth?" He looked at his brother wondering if the Med-jai king would have more insight into how this was possible since he was such an expert in the lore of his own people.

"It is a long, complicated tale. I will tell it to you another time, as it is getting quite late and you are both falling asleep,"

Anakin smiled at the dare his friend showed for his children and nodded his thanks before turning to Leia and Luke. "Ardeth's right. Why don’t you both go get some rest," he said gently bidding his children good night. They both nodded and said their farewells before heading off to their rooms. Padmé returned from the kitchen with drinks for their guests, earning quiet thanks from the two men.

"Your children are very strong magically. Have you done all of their training?" Ardeth asked, relaxing into his seat.

Anakin nodded. "Most of it. I found though it has been of greater benefit for them to have a few other instructors as well to teach them what I cannot. Obi-Wan for one," he said. "But both Luke and Leia are incredibly strong in the Force."

"Have they experimented with their twin bond at all? It feels strong, but not as strong as it could be, given their strength in the Force."

"Not as much so recently," Anakin admitted. "I am not as equipped to teach them in that respect. Added to which, we have been on the run a lot recently. Sidious has been chasing us very actively these past few months."

Padmé nodded. "His actions of late have seemed a little more aggressive than usual. Trying to keep us on the defensive, almost desperate."

Rick's brow knit. "It sounds like he's trying to cover up something," he murmured. "Divert your attention."

"Yes, it does. Well, If you have no objections, Rick and I will do our best to help them ground their bond and strengthen it."

Anakin smiled in gratitude. “I would appreciate that. Heaven knows, we might have need of that in the not so distant future. They’ve both been training hard these past years so that they’ll be ready to fight in the Rebellion when the time comes, though I had desperately hoped that all this would be over before it came to that.” He paused and Padmé squeezed her husband’s shoulder comfortingly. Anakin chuckled mirthlessly. “I have to be honest with myself, I’m not looking forward to their first assignment in a couple of days.” He cringed inwardly. Was it that soon already?

Ardeth smiled at that. "I wonder if that was how Father felt, with Rick and I constantly out on missions," he said, smile fading a little as he thought of Suleimon.

"I have no doubt," Anakin said smiling. "So how is your father?"

The smile immediately faded from Rick's face, his expression grave as his eyes dropped to the carpet. He chanced looking at Ardeth out of the corner of his eyes.

"Father was murdered over twenty years ago." Ardeth said, instinctively hiding his roiling emotions behind a trained diplomatic mask of neutrality.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said. His tone was solemn and his eyes were sympathetic. He knew the rage, the pain, and loss it felt to have a loved one murdered. It was a fate he wouldn't wish on anyone, especially on Rick and Ardeth. "He was a good man." Even from the brief span of time he spent with Suleimon, he could tell that the king had been a good man and an excellent father.

"Thank you, Anakin." Ardeth pushed away the thoughts of those he had lost, remembering the smiles of his grandsons the night before as they tried to rip his hair out as he held them. "Tell me, have the Jedi been scattered enough that they have revised their Code?"

"Not quite," Anakin grinned sheepishly. "When Palpatine ordered the attack on the Temple, the Council had bigger things to worry about than my marriage violating the newer code. But Obi-Wan did show me the research he had done on the old Code and told me he'd help me out with the Council when the time comes. Of course only half the Council survived, but we kind of tabled the matter until Sidious is defeated." He chuckled and turned a looked at Ardeth. "Is your offer to speak to the Council still open?"

"Of course. The timing might be a little challenging, but my word will certainly carry more weight now than it did when I was fourteen." The king grinned a little. "I have been king of the Med-jai for twenty-three years now."

"That helps, yes," Anakin said with a smile. "Well, you are both welcome to stay here as long as you like. It may take me a little longer to find you guys some rooms than the last time. We don't have the resources we used to any more. But until I do you're welcome to stay here in our quarters." He looked at Padmé to see if this was alright, and she nodded.

"I'll get you both some pillows and blankets," she said as she rose and went to a linen compartment.

"Thank you, both. We greatly appreciate it." Ardeth said.

After Padmé had finished putting turning the couches into beds, she turned to her husband. "You should come to bed too, Ani. You look exhausted."

Anakin squeezed her hand. "I'll be along in a second, I promise." He kissed her before sitting back down at a chair and taking another brief look at the schematic rebel intelligence had procured.

Ardeth glanced at what Anakin was studying. "What exactly is that device?"

"It's a space station. We're not exactly sure of the extent of its purpose and capabilities are, but it Palpatine built it, and judging by its size, nothing good can come from this thing." Anakin exhaled deeply. "What I'm worried about is whether we actually managed to steal this information from him or if he's just letting us think we did so that we'll move too fast and play into his hand."

"That would complicate things." Ardeth shook his head. "I suppose he is strong enough to sense any spies that get too close?"

"If he's onboard the station or on any neighboring planets, yes. We're trying to work on a plan right now to exploit any possible weaknesses in its structure, but when the time comes, we're going to try and send an operative in to sabotage the station but we're going to have to move soon, before Sidious comes to oversee its final phases of construction. We're running out of time though."

"How long until he comes to finish it?" Leaving his bed, the king knelt next to the schematics. "What scale is this?"

"This space station is the size of a small moon. And we're not sure when he's coming to finish it. That part of our intel is sketchy, the best estimate our spies could give us was by the end of the fortnight."

Rick moved over to look at the schematic. "You're right that doesn't give you much time. Does the rebellion have a plan so far on taking it out?"

"Not yet. They're really hoping that some of the Jedi that aren't well known get back soon." Anakin shook his head. "Unfortunately, most Jedi are far too well known to be able to get on there."

'Do you think he would recognize us our Force signature, since he saw us so long ago and only for a couple of days?' Rick asked his brother through their bond.

'I do not know. Our Force signature has changed a great deal since then.' Ardeth fingered his beard absently, considering the schematics. "It must have some weakness—no matter how powerful something is, there is always a weakness."

Anakin nodded. "I agree with you, but the information our contacts were able to give us was limited. For now, all we can do is study this vague blue print and hope we find something useful or wait for better intel." Anakin yawned deeply and rubbed his tired eyes.

Rick laid a hand on his shoulder. "You should get some rest." Anakin nodded, moving to thumb off the display, but O'Connell stopped him. "Is it alright if we take a look at it? Maybe we'll be able to help you find something," Rick suggested. He didn't want to make assumptions, since this was probably classified information.

"Of course. Just make sure to turn it off when you're done." Anakin stumbled toward his room, and the two men exchanged a glance.

‘The situation here is worse than I thought it would be. As powerful as Palpatine is, I had though he would have been defeated by now,’ Rick shook his head as he seated himself closer to the schematic, eyes scouring the blueprints.

'We will have to intervene as best as we can.' Ardeth shook his head. 'Well, as long as we can avoid getting injured, we'll be able to trick Gen into thinking this was a vacation, I hope.'

Rick chuckled at that. 'Yeah, like my trip to China was supposed to be a vacation. Though you're right; as long as we don't get injured, it might look that way,' here he paused and looked at his brother for a moment. 'Of course, what are the odds of that happening?'

'Not very likely, especially since we are together again. There, do you see that?' Ardeth pointed out a section in the schematics.

Rick looked at the section he was indicating. Pressing a few buttons on the display he enlarged the area sizably.

'Do you remember how big the single-person fighters were?' Ardeth asked, studying the opening.

Rick looked at the service trench that Ardeth was pointing to, and nodded as he caught his meaning. "Yes, you're right, it would be able to fit into that groove in the ship's hull. But it wouldn't be able to do much other than some serious surface damage. Unless..." Rick's eyes followed the trench as he rotated the schematic to look for any openings in the superstructure of the space station. 'Yes! There!' Rick saw a small exhaust port at one end. Though he couldn't be sure how deep it went. 'You think it enters the station deep enough to destroy it?'

'Zoom back out.' Ardeth said, keeping an eye on the port, so that they wouldn't loose it in the massive structure.

Rick zoomed it back out. He pulled up a model of a star fighter next to the space station to double check his theory that it would fit in the trench.

Ardeth was messing with the controls on his side. 'I know it is one of these—there!' He found the selector that followed the path of that exhaust port.

Rick's eyes widened. 'It goes all the way into the core of the station! It's perfect!' But then as he compared the size of the fighter to the size of the exhaust port, he groaned. 'It's too big. A star fighter won't fit in that tunnel.'

Ardeth stared at him. 'My brother, are you ill? Injured in any way?'

Rick looked at Ardeth confused. 'No, why?'

'My dear American brother, this is where you are supposed to suggest explosives!'

Rick laughed. 'I must be sick, and you must be sick for suggesting it first. How much yield do you think it would need?'

'Much more than anything we could possibly have. But we have no idea what their technology is like regarding explosives at this point.'

'We should tell Anakin in the morning, and ask him how much he thinks we would need in the way of explosives,' Rick suggested as he marked the location of the exhaust port in the file on the datapad.

'Well, the time change will make matters interesting.' Ardeth shook his head, glancing at the couches without interest. 'I would suggest sparring, but I don't want to wake them.'

Rick smiled amusedly. 'Yeah even if we did practice our saber technique, I'm willing to bet that would be enough to wake them up. You gotta love time jump-lag. At least the last time we got here it was relatively the same time in the day.'

'Thankfully. I doubt Anakin would have had the patience to deal with us being hyperactive because of sleep deprivation. It is very strange to think that we are now older than he is.'

Rick's smile broadened. 'That's right. We're older than him now. Now he would have to put up with up being hyperactive!' He caught a reproving look from Ardeth. 'Don't worry, I wouldn't do that to him or his family...' His smile grew impish, making him look much younger than he was. '...But it's fun to think about.'

'I think it is past your bedtime, my brother,' Ardeth said, a mischievous grin matching his brother's on his face.

Rick scoffed and waved a dismissive hand at his brother, but the smile remained on his face. 'I'm gonna try and run a few simulations with the sort of explosives that are logged into this datapad's information base. See if any of them work.' He made sure to turn the volume on the sonic emitters down before running the program to see how heavy the payload of the explosive would have to be to reach the core of the superstructure so the sound of the simulations didn't wake the Skywalker family.

Ardeth lay back on the couch, watching Rick work. He hid a yawn—the spell had taken a fair bit of energy.

It took Rick a while to construct the program with his limited knowledge of the computers and how they worked in this time and to specify the parameters he wanted but after a couple of hours he got the program up and running. Filling in the information into the factors provided by the datapad, he ran several tests, but none of them reached the core or had a strong enough yield to reach the reactor. Rick eyelids were beginning to droop by the time a possible simulation produced the desired result. At first he shook his head. Half asleep, he wasn't sure he hadn't imagined what he had just seen or hadn't been dreaming. He ran it again, and again the station was obliterated before his eyes.

'Rick? What is it?' Ardeth murmured, waking from his light doze.

In disbelief, Rick ran the simulation again to the same end. As the station was turned to dust before both their eyes, Rick slowly turned to his brother. 'We've got it!' His excitement was tangible as he quickly typed up a few keys to bring up an additional hologram of the type of weapon he had tested out along with a visual representation and full description.

‘Excellent! I’m sure Anakin will be thrilled to see that. Make certain to save all of that, then come to bed. We need to be alert tomorrow.’

'Alright,' Rick said, double-checking the file to make sure it saved. Finally finished, he turned off the holographic display and sank down onto the couch across from Ardeth's pulling the covers over him and settling in for what remained of the night. 'Night, Ardeth,' Rick thought to his brother as his eyelids began to slide shut.

'Goodnight, Rick,' Ardeth's response was no more than a sleepy murmur.


	15. Chapter 15

Anakin was the first to wake that morning. Leaving his bedroom he quietly opened the door to see if Rick and Ardeth were awake. Both were fast asleep on the couches around the living area. In between their makeshift beds was the table with the built in holodisplay, with his datapad on top. Anakin had slept very little the previous night his mind swarming with all the data he had been going over from the schematic, and still he had been able to come up with nothing. He released his breath without making a sound not wanting to disturb the Med-jai. He walked silently over to the table to retrieve his data pad. He wanted to review the information again. Maybe he would be able to process the facts more clearly in the fresh light of a new day. Besides he wanted to try and come up with a solution before the next meeting later on today. Having reached the table, he leaned over to pick up the datapad. Suddenly, strong arms flew out and grabbed his, pinning them tightly behind his back.

Sharp steel rested just under his chin, discouraging any movement. "It is a very bad idea to sneak up on us. What are you doing in my bedroom-oh, Mummy's Breath!" Ardeth finally woke up enough to realize who he was threatening, and sheathed his scimitar. "Let Anakin go, Rick."

Anakin's eyes had never been so wide in his life as he saw the Med-jai king holding him at scimitar point. Even his Jedi reflexes had not anticipated nor allowed him to react quickly enough to keep from being caught between the two brothers.

"Sorry about that, Anakin," Rick's voice sounded behind him as the man's grip released his arms. The Jedi turned to look at the man who was looking at him with an apologetic expression.

"I'm afraid we are both far too used to being in war. We did not hurt you, did we?" Ardeth asked, pushing his hair back and straightening his robes as he came off of his adrenaline high.

Anakin looked back at Ardeth, his bewildered expression slowly being replaced by one of amusement. He hadn't even heard Ardeth's words. He rubbed his throat more out of reflex to being at sword point, not having actually been hurt. "I didn't even feel you two coming," he breathed in wonder. He shook his head after a moment. "There is nothing more you two can learn from me, that's for sure."

Ardeth smiled at the man. "When you are being chased around by a Creature, you learn to move silently. Why are you up so early?"

Anakin shook his head. "I've got this intel file playing out in my head. It won't let me sleep."

Rick perked up a little more at hearing this. "Oh! We found something last night. Thought maybe you might want to take a look at it." He knelt by the table pulling up the file of the schematic. The blue sphere of the space station flickered to life, hovering above the table. Rick pulled up notes they had made the night before so the Jedi could see.

Anakin's jaw dropped as he saw the simulated Death Star explode. "Wait! How did you do that?"

Rick pulled up the statistics with the star fighter and the explosives. "Ardeth found the shaft and we searched through your arsenal files last night."

Looking over the information the two men had found Anakin shook his head. "We've all been looking this over for days, and you two found a weakness in a few hours. Once it gets a little later, I'll show this to everyone."

Rick smiled slightly as he looked over at Ardeth. He was just glad they had been able to help. Maybe with this information, the rebellion would be able to bring down this dictator.

"When will the twins be up? Rick and I have a lot to teach them about their bond."

"It shouldn't be long. They'll probably be up in an hour or so," Anakin said as he unplugged his datapad. He breathed deeply truly able to relax for the first time since this file had fallen into Rebel hands. He turned to the two Med-jai. "I don't know how to thank you both," he said bowing to them in respect and gratitude. "Are you two hungry?" he asked as he moved to the kitchen area to prepare making breakfast.

"Are you a good cook?" Ardeth asked, instantly wary. He had managed to survive to adulthood even with his cousins' attempts to poison him, and he would prefer not to die now.

Anakin looked confusedly at Ardeth. "I believe so. You'll have to ask Padmé to be sure, I guess."

"You have never accidentally poisoned someone?" the king asked, folding the blankets he had used.

"Not to my knowledge," Anakin chuckled as he began preparing the food. He looked between Ardeth and Rick, quirking his eyebrow, wondering what would prompt such questions. "You must not have many good cooks where you come from I take it," he guessed.

Ardeth shrugged. "There are many excellent cooks, but my cousins always try to prove their skill at cooking, and they have nearly killed people many times."

Anakin's expression was torn between grimace and his attempts to keep from bursting out laughing. "Well, no one has died from my cooking or told me that it made them sick. You don't have to eat what I make though if it proves not to your taste. I won't be offended." He turned back to what he was doing.

Rick looked at Ardeth and shrugged, seating himself at the table. 'I'll give it a try,' he told him, throwing him a sly gin. 'If I don't die, it should be safe.'

'But my brother, you have been known to survive The Cousins' cooking before!'

'I'll let you know how it tastes,' Rick said, quickly amending his statement.

After a few short minutes, Anakin had made breakfast for the family and his two friends. He set plates out for Rick and Ardeth, and O'Connell tentatively took a bite. Nodding his approval, he began to eat it quickly.

The king ate as well and was pleasantly surprised at the food. "This is excellent, Anakin. Thank you."

Anakin smiled. "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do."

"What are your plans for the day?" Ardeth asked, finishing his food and leaning back in his chair.

After Anakin had set the rest of the food aside for his family, he sat down at the table with his own plate. "Well, sometime later on today I have to meet with the other leaders of the Rebellion. At that time I'll present to them the battle plans you both came up with. Until then, I'm inspecting the maintenance of our fighters, improving and repairing them where I can. I also over see the training of some of our resident padawans as well as a squadron of Rebel pilots."

"You will be busy. Do your children have anything that must be done today? Strengthening the bond will take some time, and a great deal of their energy."

"Not as much so. I train my children with the padawans and instruct Luke as a pilot, but both Luke and Leia will be free while I'm tuning up the X-Wing fighters."

Ardeth nodded. "Excellent. This will be very entertaining. Do your children attract trouble at all?"

Anakin smiled as he thought about it. "Maybe Luke more than Leia. That or my daughter's better at hiding it from me. She relates a little better with her mother and in the area of politics, which is not a bad thing, but it has taken me some getting used to." He grinned widely, though. As much as he differed with his daughter in areas of interest, he loved her dearly and would do anything for her as he would for any other member of his family.

"It is unfortunate that Alex and Azizah were not able to come. I am certain they would enjoy meeting Luke and Leia."

"Yeah they would," Rick smiled but then he cringed slightly. "But I don't think any of us could handle the combined strain of all of our kids hanging out together. We each might need a straight jacket and a nice padded room to bounce around in."

The king shrugged. "That is possible. They also might manage to completely destroy the galaxy."

"Oh, well, if that's all," Rick joked.

Anakin laughed lightly at this. He was glad to see how both Ardeth and Rick had grown and to see that they had recovered well from what had befallen them the first time they were here. He sighed and smiled at the Med-jai. "It is so good to see you both again."

"I am very glad we were able to come back—I found our lightsabers in a secret drawer in my desk."

Anakin quirked his eyebrow at them being in a secret drawer, curious.

"We didn't want the kids to get a hold of them and kill themselves with it," Rick explained.

Anakin nodded in understanding. "Have you been keeping up with your saber practice since we last met?"

"I haven't as much recently. My wife and I were living in a different country at the time undercover* and couldn't bring it along with us for fear of drawing to much attention to ourselves if I was seen with it."

"I have, to some extent. Mostly, I just attempt to translate my normal scimitar moves into appropriate saber ones."

Anakin nodded, "Oh, yeah, since it was you two who found it, if I can obtain permission from the other leaders, I was wondering if you two would join me during the meeting to present your discovery of the weakness in the Death Star."

Ardeth glanced over at Rick and raised an eyebrow. 'Well? This would be a good opportunity to establish ourselves among their ranks.'

Rick nodded, then turned to Anakin. “Thank you. We’d be glad to help out in any way we can.”

A few minutes later, Luke and Leia joined them at the table. Both teens were very sleepy and quiet. Ardeth smiled. “This reminds me of many mornings before our lessons, does it not, Rick?”

Rick smirked at his brother. "Yeah no kidding, though usually you'd be more awake than I was."

Anakin grinned at his children. "They get that from me, I think. I always hated having to get up early—Padmé is much better about it than I am."

"Evy is too," Rick commented to Anakin. "Funny how that works out, isn't it?"

Luke and Leia went over and dished up portions of breakfast for themselves before joining the adults at the table.

Ardeth watched the twins eat, doing his best to keep his expression neutral. He planned to enjoy teaching the twins the full extent of their bond.

Luke and Leia watched the Med-jai with open curiosity, though Leia did a better job at hiding it than her brother.

Rick smiled at the two youths. "So did you two sleep well?"

"Yeah, we did. Did you?" Luke asked, remembering to politely return the question after Leia planted her elbow in his side.

"After a while," Rick replied. "We had just gotten up for the day before we arrived here."

Leia raised one cultured eyebrow. "How exactly did you get here? I was on the bridge, and I heard nothing about any ships docking with us."

Rick chuckled, knowing that Ardeth was infinitely relieved that they didn't have to fly on any ships to arrive. "We didn't come by ship. We actually use an ancient Med-jai transportation spell, the one we were experimenting with when we accidentally came to this galaxy the first time," he said as he looked with amusement at Anakin.

Anakin looked at the two of them, more than a little concerned. "But you two do have a way to get back when you're done here, right?"

Rick was already nodding vigorously. "We've got return spell down pat by now. It took us a while, and a few more unplanned trips," he admitted sheepishly, "but we got it."

Ardeth smoothed his beard to hide his grin. "After the third unplanned trip, Father ensured that we learned the return spell quite well."

Anakin tried to contain his laughter. "Well, I hope not all your trips ended as disastrously as your last trip here."

"We attract trouble, no matter where we go," Ardeth told him, shrugging.

Anakin grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry."

Rick raised his eyebrows slightly. "We definitely come by the skills we have today through practice," he said with a sad smile. But then it widened as he looked up at Anakin. "A little more so than we'd care for anyways."

"So how did you guys meet Dad, anyway?" Luke asked, finally looking up from his empty plate. He was much more alert now.

Rick chuckled at the memory. "Well, Ardeth was working with me on practicing our spells, and our Dad had just given us some new tomes and we were trying them out. But I read one of the more advanced spells out loud and then all of the sudden we were in the Council room of the Jedi Temple." He raised an eyebrow at Ardeth thinking about how once they had got back it took him a while before he worked up the courage to read spells out loud again.

Ardeth grinned back at him, remembering the hours Suleimon had spent trying to convince Rick to practice spells.

Anakin winced at the memory of how short he had been with them that day. "Yeah, that was not a good Council session. I'd like to apologize to you both for how impatient I was with you guys, especially with you Ardeth." He looked at the Med-jai king seriously. He'd kicked himself for it ever since and thought he would never have the opportunity to make it up to the boy again.

Ardeth's smile was kind. "There is nothing to forgive, my friend. At the time, it did confuse me why you were impatient with me, but I am much older now, and able to understand it better now."

Anakin shook his head. "It was a lot of things, none of which were your fault. I was frustrated with the Council. I see now that a good deal of it was because Palpatine was using me, manipulating me into thinking that they were holding me back because they feared my abilities. Now I know that they just saw that I wasn't ready to be a Master then. But when you showed up and they were ready to elevate you to knighthood because of your training I was jealous because I thought they favored you," Anakin sighed, disgusted with his own assumptions back then. "I was arrogant and impatient. Still am sometimes," he said shrugging. "But I do owe you that apology. I am glad you helped me to realize the truth, but I regret that it cost you both so much."

"It is in the past. The past must never be forgotten, so that we will remember our mistakes and not repeat them, but it is the future that matters." Ardeth glanced around the table at, and smiled when he saw Luke and Leia looking between their father and him in confusion.

“So what happened?” Luke asked, curious now.

"When Rick and I first arrived, there were many differences between your father and I. I believe it did not help matters at all that I did not like flying," Ardeth added the last comment with a grin. He remembered Anakin's obsession with flying quite well.

"How can you not like flying?" Luke asked incredulously.

Anakin laughed. "He's a lot like his old man," he explained to Ardeth as he threw his son a smile.

Ardeth sighed, still smiling. "I can see that. It will certainly bring some amusement." He looked at Luke. "I have not had any pleasant experiences with flying."

Luke nodded slightly but they could tell he couldn't quite comprehend the idea.

Rick leaned forward, putting his weight on his arms that he rested on the table. "We've flown with a few pilots, and I use the term pilot loosely, who on occasions have put the fear of mummies to shame."

"Mummies? Are those anything like a Sith?" Luke asked, and Ardeth laughed.

"They are both evil, yes."

"The Med-jai are like Jedi where they come from," Anakin explained to his children. "They protect their world from evil. They use their magic to defeat the 'Creatures' that threaten the people on their planet. The magic they wield, we call 'the Force' here."

"So we're gonna be learning your magic? Do you use it the same way we use the Force?"

"For the most part. Since you two are twins and magic-users... Force sensitive," Rick took a second to remember the word the Jedi had used for them during their time at the Temple, "you both share the same sort of both that Ardeth and I have. We'll help you to strengthen it, and with it, you will be able to strengthen each other."

"What are you able to do with your bond?" Leia asked, starting to gather the dirty dishes to clean up the table.

"We can speak to each other through our thoughts," Rick answered, sorting through the numerous abilities in his mind. "Healing spells cast are more effective. We've been able to use our bond to give strength and encouragement to one another, especially during difficult moments. Sometimes in our lives the bond has been the only thing to stand between us and death's door," he looked at his brother, trying to remember any details he might have forgotten. The bond they shared was so complex, it was difficult to reduce it down to a list of abilities it bestowed.

"It strengthens both of our magic—or Force—abilities, making us far stronger than we would be if not bonded. It enables us to always know where the other twin is." Ardeth shook his head. "There are many more things, I am certain. Your bond will behave differently than ours does—each bond is as unique as the twins it binds."

Luke was looking more and more excited by the minute, turning to grin at his sister. Leia smiled at her brother warmly. She wanted to be cautious about this, but Luke's enthusiasm was contagious. And she was greatly intrigued with what she had heard about it so far. If she and Luke could strengthen the bond between them it might be a great asset in the future.

The Med-jai king smiled at them. “If you two are finished eating and have no other duties, we could get started.”

"Sure," Luke agreed immediately.

"Well, I'll leave my children in your hands. I have to make the rounds in the hangers," Anakin said, rising from his seat.

"We will see you later, Anakin." Ardeth said, waving a hand at the man.

"See you guys. Have fun," Anakin said waving at them as he walked out the door.

Luke and Leia turned to Rick and Ardeth. "So what do we need to do?" Leia asked.

"First, we should all get comfortable on the floor—this will take a little while." Ardeth stood and moved to the living room, lightly smacking Rick as he passed behind the other man. "Come along, old man."

Rick rolled his eyes as he stood, looking at Ardeth. "You know if you hadn't died when I was born, you would be the same age as me!" he protested. "And as it stands right now, you're a measly ten months younger!"

Leia and Luke were throwing each other amused grins as they got comfortable on the floor.

"But everyone seems to believe that you are far too old to be my twin—remember that one individual who thought you were my father?"

Rick threw a withering glare at Ardeth as he settled onto the floor. "That's only because I'm taller and more mature than you," he said as he cuffed his brother lightly on the head.

"You may be taller, but more mature? That, my dear brother, is doubtful." Ardeth smirked, then turned to Luke and Leia, raising an eyebrow. "Are you two joining us?"

"I'm interested to see how this is going to turn out, actually," Luke said as he scooted closer to the Med-jai.

"Now, you two both know how to meditate, correct?" Ardeth asked, focusing on the task at hand.

Leia and Luke both nodded. This had been a part of their Jedi training, and they had become fairly proficient at it.

"Go into a light meditation, and lower your defenses around your minds. Rick and I will be in momentarily."

"'In'?" Leia asked, surprised. The only consciousness she had ever felt enter her mind was that of her father. He was really the only one that knew how.

Luke's eyes closed as he tried to do as he was instructed. The barriers he and his sister had in place were so natural it took a few moments for them to figure out how lower them.

Rick's eyes closed and he reached out with his mind to theirs.

Ardeth joined them a moment later, gently forming a loose training bond between all four of them. 'Now you know what it feels like to lower your defenses. You should never lower those except to someone you trust absolutely.'

Luke and Leia nodded as in their minds they saw the two men standing beside them as they would do in any ordinary room. Between each of them were shimmering pathways of light criss-crossing over each other: the slender faint training bond between the teenagers and both of the men, and brighter twin bonds that stretched between Luke and Leia and another between Rick and Ardeth. The light between the Med-jai warriors for its strength was a bright as the light of a star.

'It will take you two time to strengthen your bond. The bond between Rick and I was forged during some very . . . difficult circumstances, and is therefore much stronger than it truly ought to me."

‘How do we strengthen this bond?’ Luke asked. ‘And if it does take time, how do we know when we're ready to strengthen it again?’ His mind, ever the mechanic, thought of this as a step-by-step process, much like tuning up a machine.

Leia smiled slightly at her brother's question, knowing how his mind worked.

'Strengthening the bond itself is not too difficult. Here, watch.' Ardeth took hold of his end of the twin bond with Rick and sent a wave of strength and love crashing through it, increasing its glow.

The Skywalker twins stared in wonder as the light of the bond pulsed between the two men, escalating in brightness, a feat which they hadn't thought possible. They could sense the increase of strength Rick and Ardeth had from this action. Luke and Leia looked at each other, both trying to imitate Ardeth's actions at the same time.

Ardeth sighed as he watched them get thrown to land hard on their rears. ‘Doing it at the same time like that can be very painful.’

'Yeah,' Luke groaned as he and Leia both picked themselves up off the ground. As they moved towards each other again, he motioned to his sister. 'You go first.'

Cautiously, the girl imitated what Ardeth had done, and both Skywalkers gasped as their bond pulsed, growing brighter.

"Well done. You do not want to do that too often—it drains your strength for a while.'

Luke grinned proudly at his sister before trying it himself. The bond between them pulsed again strengthening their connection to each other.

Rick smiled at Ardeth. 'They catch on very quickly,' he murmured, pleased with their progress so far.

'Yes, they do. They take after their parents,' Ardeth said, smiling. He turned his attention back to the younger set of twins. ‘Now, come into my mind—I need to show you the safe room Rick and I have.’

The two nodded as they now stretched their minds out to Rick and Ardeth. Suddenly they were following the men across glimmering road through a hallway and into Rick's and Ardeth's old room in Kiriyah Gan, the room they had shared as boys before Ardeth had become king and Rick had gotten married.

‘This room is the middle of the bond, between our two minds. As long as one of us is still in his body, the other can retreat here indefinitely. This is very useful against enemies.’ Ardeth told them, smiling as he saw their fascination with the view.

Rick watched as Luke and Leia looked fascinated around the room. ‘Welcome to our world. This is our home... well, in a manner of speaking anyways,’ he shrugged, smiling. ‘In the room you will form someday, you will be able to regain your strength for a time. You can communicate as if you are together even if you are far apart from each other. It's kind of a refuge for you minds.’

‘Why do you two look so much younger?’ Luke asked, displaying a distinct lack of tact inherited from Anakin.

Rick chuckled. ‘This is how old we were when Ardeth and I first met. Actually about the same age we met your dad, too. We were both fourteen when we began to develop and strengthen the bond we share between us.’

Luke and Leia exchanged grins. ‘So we're older than you in here!’ Luke said, immediately planning mischief.

Rick's smile matched theirs as he looked at his brother for a moment before turning back to the twins. 'Yeah, but this is our room in the bond between our minds.' Rick motioned back and forth between himself and Ardeth as he spoke. 'You're gonna have a difficult time finding your way out of here without our help.'

'Oh, bother. Wait, how do we make our own room like this?' Luke asked, wandering around the room and checking out everything for himself.

This brought Rick's memories back to the circumstances they had been in when they had formed this room in their bond. The only outward sign he gave of these thoughts was a sad smile that vanished after a second. ‘Physical contact between you to will help you to form a room like this one once your bond has been strengthened enough. But it does eat up a good deal of energy to do that, so you will have to be careful about that.’

'Whichever one of you builds the room, choose a location that is special to both of you. The other twin will be able to give strength only after the room is complete.’

Leia looked to Luke and then back to Ardeth. ‘How long do you think it will take before we are ready to form one?’

Ardeth shrugged. ‘You could attempt it now, but I doubt you have the motivation for it just yet. You will know when it is time.’

Leia and Luke nodded.

'It will take you a while before you can be in this room and still be aware of the world around you at the same time. You will both want to practice that as often as you can when you are in a safe environment, so you will be ready to use that if you guys are in danger,' Rick explained.

Feeling Padmé enter the room, Rick grinned at his brother as they sensed her sit at the table with her own breakfast. He could feel her curious gaze on the four of them settled on the floor, gazing unfocusedly into nowhere in particular. But she did not interrupt or say anything to them, simply watching in fascination as they worked.

‘Without breaking your meditation or leaving here, tell me what you can sense about the change in the environment around our bodies.’

Luke and Leia took a second, looking at each other uncertainly. They could sense a change, but it was taking them a while to put their finger on it. They both suddenly felt slightly more at ease for a reason they could not identify. Then Luke realized that he could feel that the temperature in the room had changed, raising a few degrees. A subtle change, but it suggested the presence of another person in the room. After a few seconds of processing this information and what it meant, his eyes widened in realization. ‘Mom's up,’ he guessed, still a little uncertain.

‘Correct. You will become more aware of your surroundings in times, but it takes practice.’

'Well, I think that's all we can teach you,' Rick said casting a glance at his brother. 'You will get more comfortable using at you go. Just don't push yourselves too hard too fast, or you could burn out.' He turned to Ardeth again, giving his brother a mischievous grin. 'So, do you think we should show them the way out or let them find it on their own?' he teased.

Ardeth grinned. 'They ought to find their own way out--it will be a good exercise for them."

Leia and Luke shook their heads in amusement as they tried to remember the way out of Rick's and Ardeth's bond. As they attempted it the got lost a couple of times and Rick and Ardeth would guide their minds gently back to the room, encouraging to try again. When they finally found their ways out, they gasped at the odd sensation of coming back to their minds and bodies, looking around at the room they were in. It felt like waking from a very strong and poignant dream.

Ardeth and Rick were already standing and talking quietly with Padmé. Ardeth looked over his shoulder at Luke and Leia, and smiled. "Welcome back."


	16. Chapter 16

"Whoa!" Luke said as he caught his breath. "That was cool!"

Rick chuckled at the boy's response. 'I think I had the exact same reaction,' he thought to Ardeth.

'Yes, I am fairly certain you did.' Ardeth agreed, watching as the younger set of twins stood and stretched.

Padmé smiled, walking over to her children and greeting them. "Soon it will be time for you to join the padawans for training," she said to them after a moment. "You will both want to get ready."

With identical yelps of dismay after looking at the clock, the two scrambled back into their rooms. Ardeth laughed. "That reminds me of many scenes from when we were younger."

Rick tried to hide his smile as he glanced at his twin. "I don't know you are talking about. I was on time for everything."

"You are loosing your memory already, my brother? This could be serious—I will have to have Amir check you over as soon as we get home."

Padmé was watching this exchange with amusement wondering if the two had even grown up though they were clearly adults. But it brought her great pleasure to see them like this, and Anakin too the night before when he had been with them. She had seen a light and vibrance in his eyes that years fighting against Palpatine had torn out of him.

Rick turned to his brother, wrapping his arm around Ardeth's head putting his younger brother into a headlock. "I'll show you!"

Ardeth let Rick keep him in the headlock for about thirty seconds before twisting out of it. "Is there a room that Rick and I could use to practice with our lightsabers?"

Padmé nodded as she moved her dirty dishes onto the counter. "Yes, the sparring rooms, aren't far from here. I'll show you the way," she said as she began to lead Rick and Ardeth out the door and through the corridors in the vessel. Rick stared for a second as he saw a star field outside the transparisteel viewport at the end of an adjoining corridor. But he quickly redirected his attention to Padmé, hoping Ardeth hadn't noticed the reminder that they were on a ship.

'What are you nervous about, my brother?' Ardeth asked, sensing the change in Rick's emotions as they walked.

'Nothing,' Rick said, casually. 'Do remember what Anakin said about Palpatine letting the information fall into rebel hands?'

'You are changing the subject,' Ardeth said, but sighed and let it go. 'Yes, I remember. It does seem highly likely, considering the nature of this creature.'

Rick grimaced. He had a very difficult time hiding things from his brother. 'You don't want to know why I got nervous.'

'That is probably true.' Ardeth smiled as he looked around the practice room Padmé had let them into.

Padmé turned to the two of them. "I have a couple of meetings to go to. Do you think you can find your way back yourselves?"

"Yes, we can. Thank you for your assistance." Ardeth said, politely bowing his head to her.

"You're more than welcome," she said with a warm smile. "The lock code on our door is A9-206. Feel free to make yourselves at home." The men murmured their thanks, and she turned and strode down another hallway.

After he was done doing his stretches, Rick ignited his lightsaber and looked challengingly at his brother, flashing him one of his cocky grins.

'Are you ready for another lesson in humility, my brother?' Ardeth asked, completing his own stretches but not igniting his saber yet.

'Yeah, we'll see who's humbled after this. Remember who won our last fight?'

Ardeth raised an eyebrow. 'You believe that you won our last fight?' he asked, standing still and waiting for Rick to make the first move.

Rick shook his head, smiling as he poised himself opposite of Ardeth, dialing the blade down to training mode. He moved suddenly diving in with series of slashing attacks. His moved blurred with ease and grace it had taken him years of training to acquire, his style almost mirroring that of his brother's.

Switching his blade on just in time to meet the first attack, Ardeth flicked the setting down to training. He met Rick's gaze coolly, his own expression revealing nothing. 'Would you like to see a trick Azizah taught me?'

Rick tilted his head, intrigued, and nodded. He watched Ardeth's face and moves like a hawk, challenging himself to anticipate what his brother had planned for him.

Ardeth promptly dropped his saber hilt, and flipped through the air to land behind Rick. Before the older man could move, Ardeth dropped to the floor between Rick's legs, caught the falling lightsaber and ignited it again, resting the blade against Rick's chest.

Rick jumped back surprised. It had been a while since he had felt the burn of a training saber and the sensation startled him slightly. He nodded to Ardeth conceding yet another match, as he caught his breath from the unexpected blow.

Turning off the saber, Ardeth got to his feet. 'Imagine my surprise when my little girl did that to me, with a scimitar!'

Rick chuckled trying to picture it. Azizah had an odd way of surprising them constantly with her abilities. 'Ready to go again?'

'Whenever you are, my brother.' Ardeth grinned.

'Your turn to attack,' Rick said as he prepared for battle once again. This time he was going to try a trick of his own.

The king immediately swung into movement, slashing rapidly at Rick.

'Now it's your turn for a surprise,' Rick thought as he moved to block Ardeth's lightsaber with his own. However instead of leaning into the block at the last minute he thumbed his blade off so that Ardeth's pushed past where his should have been, dodged the attack with his body, and reactivated the blade again inside Ardeth's defenses.

As soon as Rick turned off his blade, Ardeth started pulling back, panicked, thinking he would hurt his twin.

Rick barely managed to compensate for his brother's reaction, bringing his blade close enough to Ardeth's skin to sense the impending stroke but then deactivated it again, unwilling burn Ardeth with the blade. As he drew the weapon away from his brother it was obvious that had he left the blade on, it would have run diagonally across his chest—through it if it had been at full power.

Ardeth dropped his own saber, staring at Rick with wide eyes, trying to reign in his rampaging emotions.

Rick, unsure, moved over to Ardeth. By the look on Ardeth's face, he was afraid he had actually made contact with Ardeth's chest which he had been intending to avoid. 'Are you alright?' he asked worriedly. 'I didn't actually hit you did I?'

Ardeth closed his eyes, and shook his head. 'No, you did not injure me,' he whispered, trying to push down the horrible images he had gotten as soon as Rick's blade had gone off. He had seen his own blade, with no resistance, go straight through his twin's heart.

Rick could feel the fear rolling off of his brother in waves, despite the fact that he tried to hide it. And for some reason it felt as though it were fear for his own safety. He placed his arm around Ardeth drawing him close and embracing him. 'I'm sorry,' he said holding his brother tightly. 'I didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm alright.'

'Please, don't do that again,' Ardeth said, shuddering in Rick's grasp.

'I won't,' Rick promised. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. He had never begun to think that a move he had been contemplating for sometime now would have this kind of effect on his brother. The last thing he wanted to do was to bring him pain.

Ardeth took a deep breath, purposely calming himself. 'It is a little too soon to be pulling a move like that—I am still recovering from feeling the bond nearly snap, and being unable to do anything about it.'

Rick shook his head, scolding himself inwardly. He sent comfort through the bond and let his presence wrap and his twin, reassuring him he was alright. He pulled away from his brother slightly to look him in the eyes, both hands firmly grasping his shoulders. 'I'm sorry about that Ardeth. I didn't think. I promise I won't do that again.'

'At least not to me. Feel free to do it to Gen, or anyone else you practice against.'

Rick smiled slightly, nodding as he let his forehead rest against his brother's. 'I think maybe that's enough sparring for now,' he suggested. 'Maybe we should get some lunch before we try that again?'

'That would probably be wise.' Ardeth finally opened his eyes, and managed a faint smile for Rick.

Rick patted Ardeth on the back, before stooping to pick up his brother's lightsaber and hand it back to him.

Taking the lightsaber, Ardeth stared at it for a moment, forcing back the horrible vision of the purple blade piercing through Rick's chest.

Rick placed his hand over the lightsaber, clasping his fingers over Ardeth's and obscuring most of the saber from view, his other hand on Ardeth's arm trying to bring him back out of the dark visions that clouded his gaze. 'Ardeth,' he quietly spoke his brother's name, trying to give him strength and encouragement.

Shuddering again, Ardeth snapped his eyes up and met Rick's gaze. He tucked the lightsaber under his robes, so that he wouldn't have to see it.

'Are you going to be okay?' Rick asked as Ardeth's eye met his.

'I will be. It will just take time to get this out of my mind.'

Rick nodded. Placing his arm around Ardeth's shoulders, he guided him towards the door. 'Let's get something to eat.'

Ardeth shook his head a little. 'Are you back to being the protective older twin again?'

Rick grinned at this. 'Yes actually. It's a dirty job, but hey, someone's gotta do it. Besides, I've grown kind of attached to you.'

The king shot him a fond glare. 'My dear brother, believe me, you should be very glad that I am sincerely attached to you.'

Rick laughed at this as they walked back to Skywalker's apartment. Once they got inside, Rick began to scavenge around the kitchen. He paused, looking at the different foods and machines and droids used to prepare the food. He had never had to cook in this place before so he took a second to try and assess the different devices before trying his hand at making a meal with them.

Ardeth shrugged off his robes and buried his lightsaber in the folds of cloth, then started running through the basic katas with his scimitar, fighting down the memories.

After a few minutes Rick had sufficiently figured out how each device worked to prepare a basic meal. Once he was done he place their plates on the table. 'No gonna be as good as Gen's cooking, but still not poisonous,' Rick said by way of calling his brother to the table, a sly grin on his face.

Finishing the form he was on, Ardeth sheathed his scimitar. 'You say it is not poisonous?'

Rick gave his brother a withering glance. 'If you're not going to eat my cooking, then you're more than welcome to try your own hand at using those droids. I'll just eat both of our shares.'

'No, I will attempt it.' Ardeth sat down quickly, raising an eyebrow. 'Are you joining me?'

'I'm gonna wait and see what happens to you first,' he teased before sitting down and eating the food he had laid out for himself.

The king ate quietly. 'Thank you, Rick. The food is excellent—I am surprised that you are able to accomplish that with these strange machines.'

'Thanks,' Rick said smiling. 'I don't really get the purpose of them myself. Technology is supposed to make things easier, but some of those devices make it even more complicated. So I'll wait to use those later after Anakin or Padmé teaches me how to use them.' He shook his head.

Ardeth laughed. 'I doubt that Kiriyah Gan will ever host much technology—our people love the simple way of life too much.'

Rick nodded. 'Somehow a lot of things seem just better that way... well except for maybe weaponry.' He grinned broadly at his brother.

'American!' Ardeth teased, gathering the dirty dishes to wash them.

‘Hey, I don’t see you complaining when I use advanced weaponry to defend sacred sites… except maybe with explosives,’ Rick chuckled.

‘Just because I do not vocalize my complaints does not mean that I approve of those weapons. They do make it very difficult to manage a secret attack.’

Rick chuckled. 'Only if the creature survives the initial blast.'

'It depends on which creature we go against.' Ardeth tilted his head to one side. 'Anakin's back.'

Rick and Ardeth looked up as Anakin entered the room. Anakin greeted them as he moved to join them at the table. "You both made a pretty big impression on my children this morning. Luke and Leia were practicing what you taught them on small levels once or twice through the day. I can already feel their strength increasing."

Ardeth smiled. "Yes, I doubt it will take long before they are able to fully utilize their abilities."

Anakin smiled. "I want to thank you both for helping to train them."

"It is our pleasure. Your children will be great someday, of that I am certain."

"They're well on their way. I'm very proud of them." Anakin smiled to himself, then turned his focus to the two Med-jai. "It's just about time for the meeting. We should start heading down there. Are you two ready to go?"

Ardeth went over to the living room, and slid his outer robes back on, but left the lightsaber on the coffee table for now.

Rick rose as well. Anakin stood, and led the brothers out the door and through the ship towards the room they had set up for meetings between the leaders of the rebellion. Anakin sat and motioned for Rick and Ardeth to join him. Rick looked across the chamber. It was a circular room with tiered seating, of which they sat on the lowest level. In the center of the room was a holodisplay much like the one in Anakin's living room but larger in scale, and with several datajacks, so multiple sources of information could be displayed simultaneously.

"I hope you informed the correct people that Rick and I would be coming to this meeting," Ardeth murmured to Anakin, as he sat.

"I did," Anakin assured the king. "And told them of your contributions. They are eager to meet you both."

Rick was looking down thoughtfully at the floor.

"Are any other Jedi going to be here?" Ardeth asked, absently rubbing his fingers over his scimitar.

"Well, Leia will be here, though usually we have another few Jedi Masters in. As many as are in the sector at the time. But it looks like it's just me and my daughter to represent the Order today."

Ardeth nodded, running a hand over his beard to hide his smile. 'Rick, do you sense that presence coming in through the door behind us?'

Rick concentrated, trying to find what Ardeth had picked up on, and then a smile crossed his face. He chanced a glance in Anakin's direction but Anakin was reviewing the file in his datapad, going over the schematic again one last time before he made his presentation to the Alliance.

"So studious, Anakin? My, the galaxy must be falling apart!" A lightly accented voice said, from just behind Anakin.

Anakin looked up, his gaze cast back over his shoulder, eyes wide, and saw a warm smile and kind blue eyes. He leapt to his feet and embraced his former master. "Obi-Wan! It's so good to see you!" Anakin enthused clapping his dearest friend on the back. He pulled back slightly, looking Obi-Wan in the face. "I thought you weren't due in for another five days at least!"

Obi-Wan smiled, checking Anakin over to make sure the younger man hadn't gotten hurt any since they had last seen each other. "I finished earlier than expected, and Padmé agreed to keep it a secret so that I could surprise you."

"I had wondered what she had up her sleeve he said looking over to where she was talking with a few of the other leaders. She smiled before continuing her discussion. He turned back to Obi-Wan. "I'm so glad you are here. You won't guess who else showed up to surprise us." He gestured to Rick and Ardeth. "Some old friends dropped in for a visit."

Rick and Ardeth both stood to greet the Jedi.

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "Rick! Ardeth! It's wonderful to see you again!"

"It's good to see you again," Rick said smiling widely at their old friend. It had been a long time since they had seen the man and he had aged a good deal, but the warmth and sparkle still shone in the old master's eye and it was good to see that the war had not tarnished that.

"You two have certainly grown up—how are you doing?" The Jedi Master asked, sitting down next to them with small sigh. He was getting older.

"We've been doing good, thank you," Rick answered. "And you? We were very relieved to hear that you survived the battle we left."

"As well as can be expected in these times." Obi-Wan's smile faltered as he glanced at the holo of the Death Star.

"Yeah," Rick said sadly following his gaze.

Anakin turned to his former master. "You wouldn't believe it. These guys showed up late last night, and by the time I woke up, they had already figured out how to destroy this thing."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Now that is excellent news!"

"So how are things going on the Outer Rim?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan.

"Surprisingly well. My team and I managed to sabotage three Imperial bases, and recovered quite a few supplies."

As they talked catching up, Rick's eyes turned back to the holodisplay, concern beginning to etch it's way into his face.

'What is wrong, my brother?' Ardeth asked, sensing his twin's sudden distraction.

'I was just thinking,' Rick said slowly, 'what if Palpatine did let this slip into the hands of the Rebellion? What if this is a trap and now we just set it up for him?' He looked over to lock gazes with his brother.

'I thought that also. But this death star is far too powerful to leave in his hands--you know how creatures thrive on chaos and death.'

'I know, and I agree. It has to be taken down,' Rick said nodding. 'But if he is waiting for them, we should have a contingency plan to fall back on. They won't be able to destroy this thing if he gets to them before they can get to the station.'

'We will just have to make certain that the leader of the mission is prepared, and possibly see if there is any way to have backup forces nearby.'

Rick nodded. This seemed a good plan. By now, more of the leaders were filing in. Leia came in and ran over to give Obi-Wan a hug. A young man was close behind her and greeted Anakin somewhat formally. Anakin seemed to stand a little straighter as he rose to greet the man, his height slightly imposing now that he was on his feet.

"And who is this?" Ardeth asked, voice quiet, watching Anakin's interactions with the man.

Obi-Wan followed Ardeth's gaze and began to stroke his beard as he usually did to hide his smile. "That is Han Solo, a recent addition to the Rebellion. He used to be a smuggler and Anakin is very wary of newcomers who have dealings with his family." His gaze drifted subtly over to Leia, but it was not lost on the Med-jai.

"That would certainly explain it, then. Atiq is very fortunate that he did not come from outside the tribes, or he may have never even met Azizah."

Obi-Wan looked at Ardeth in confusion, though assuming it was a similar circumstance.

"My daughter got married almost two years ago." Ardeth told the man. "As she is my daughter, and therefore a Med-jai princess, it is highly unlikely that anyone not a Med-jai would ever meet her."

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. Rick was chuckling somewhat. Anakin could be pretty intimidating when he wanted to be. Leia was currently going to Solo's rescue.

Ardeth stepped forward, distracting Anakin a little more. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend, Leia?"

Leia smiled and gestured to the man. "This is Captain Han Solo of the Millennium Falcon. He helped myself and some of our operatives to escape with the schematics of the Death Star a few days ago. Han this is Ardeth Bay and Rick O'Connell. They're old friends of my father's from the Jedi Temple."

At the mention of their association with Anakin, Han's expression grew somewhat wary, wondering if they were Jedi and all three were going to gang up on him. He greeted Rick and Ardeth, and they noticed his eyes flicking over the tattoos across Ardeth's face. He had never seen anything like Ardeth's tribal marks and he had seen a fair amount in his travels.

"Well met, Captain Solo." Ardeth told the young man, almost smirking at the wariness pouring off of the pilot.

Seeing the beginnings of a smile on Ardeth's face, Han wasn't quite sure if that was a bad thing or a good thing for him, but he held himself well.

"Nice to meet you," Rick said as he shook Solo's hand.

"Nice to meet you. So, where are you two from?" Han asked, unable to completely contain his curiosity.

Rick was trying to contain his laughter at the question. "That's actually a more interesting question than you would think. We're from a planet called Earth."

"What sector is it in?" Han asked, obviously trying to place it.

Rick's face quirked in confusion for a second. "One you haven't been to I'm sure. We're not from this galaxy.'

"How is that even possible? No one's ever been able to leave the galaxy before!"

"We used an ancient spell. The first time we came," Rick grimaced slightly, 'was an accident. But now that we have the spell to come here and to return home down pat, we decided to return to see our friends again and help if we could."

"Oh. Well, that's good, then. Leia, wanna go grab a seat? Looks like they’re gonna get started soon."

All of them began to sit, Anakin's eyes following Solo, a warning glimmering in their depths. Solo and Leia sat down next to a tall dark man with a flowing cape and a jovial smile as he greeted the two. Han smiled comfortably at him, and by how relaxed his posture became around him, Rick was willing to bet they were close friends.

Ardeth laughed. "Relax, Anakin. Your daughter can take care of herself."

Anakin continued to look at Solo for a second, before turning to Ardeth. "I know," he sighed deeply. "It's just an instinct. He seems like a good person so far. But anytime someone I don't know very well gets close to Padmé or my kids," he shook his head, "it's like I go on full alert, whether they seem trustworthy or not."

Rick looked at Ardeth and his eyes held a grim understanding. 'Palpatine's betrayal must have really affected his ability to trust people.'

'It is highly likely. You remember what I was like after we were kidnapped and brought to Hamunaptra by the traitor when we were fourteen.'

Rick nodded sadly. 'I hope that he can come to terms with it like you were able to.'

The last of the leaders filed in: General Madine, Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, Mon Mothma, and Admiral Akbar. Once everyone took their seats, Bail Organa stepped forward.

"You all have access to the data we distributed to you at the last meeting, the schematics for the Death Star, the Emperor's new weapon. We gave these files to each of you for you so that a weakness might be found. Have any discoveries been made?”

After a few moments of uncomfortable, weighty silence, Anakin stood. “May I?” he asked, stepping forward to plug his datapad in to the holodisplay. At Mon Mothma’s nod, he plugged it in, and played the simulation Rick had made. The silence was stunned, this time.

"Very good," Admiral Akbar mused, already calculating the resources in ships and man-power they would need to mobilize to mount an attack of this sort. "We will need to ready several squadrons of X-Wing fighters to lead the attack and other squadrons to cover their backs as they make their runs."

Bail Organa nodded in agreement. "Well done, Master Jedi. This plan was well thought and quickly produced."

"I didn't come up with this, actually. I have some close friends visiting me—Ardeth Bey and Rick O'Connell. They are the ones who found the weakness." Anakin told them, glancing over his shoulder at the Med-jai.

All eyes turned to the two men. "Then, we must thank you both for your contribution," Bail said nodding his thanks. "This plan you have come up with will save billions of lives, and hopefully deal the Emperor a blow from which he will not soon recover." Though the man had to wonder at the convenient timing of their arrival and how quickly they had solved this problem for them. But he trusted Anakin's judgement. After Palpatine's betrayal, the Jedi did not trust lightly, and his faith in them spoke volumes as to their character.

Ardeth inclined his head to the man. "It is our pleasure to help in any way that we can against the creature. My brother and I have had the displeasure of meeting this self-proclaimed Emperor before, and we will do anything in our power to stop him."

Bail's face remained impassive, but his eyes flickered in recognition. After the senators had fled to form the rebellion, what remained of the Jedi had briefed him and the other leaders on their discovery of Sidious' manipulation. He hadn't been given the specifics, but enough to clearly indicate that the two could be trusted. Now he realized why the men sitting beside Anakin and Obi-Wan had looked familiar.

Ardeth nodded as he saw the recognition in the eyes of the leaders in the room. Now they knew that he and Rick could be trusted, which would make things a bit easier.

"We need to put this plan into action as quickly as possible. The details on when Palpatine will arrive are incredibly vague. We know only that his ships will arrive within two weeks, maybe sooner. In case the Emperor does show up before or during our attack, in order for this plan to succeed, we will need someone to lead this assault that he has never come into contact with, to increase the chance of success," Bail said addressing all the members in the chamber.

"Who should we send, then? I think all of us have had contact with the Emperor at some point or another." Anakin said, glancing around the room.


	17. Chapter 17

Organa thought hard for a few minutes then looked up at Anakin. The meaning in his eyes was unclear, his gaze considering. "Anakin you are the greatest pilot among us but you cannot go because the Emperor will sense you are coming. However," the senator paused, "there is one among our numbers whose piloting abilities almost match that of your own. Luke Skywalker."

Anakin's shoulders tensed, and he closed his eyes, fighting down the urge to yell at the man for even suggesting putting his son in danger. Obi-Wan watched the scene quietly, and brushed against Anakin's shields, sending the younger man his support and concern.

"With all due respect, Senator," Anakin said carefully when he found his voice again, "this would be Luke's first assignment. He is an incredibly gifted pilot, but he has no experience with this kind of a mission." His voice was tight, but not out of disrespect to the Senator, but out of fear for his son.

"We understand, Master Skywalker, but unless you can point out some other pilot with Luke's skill level and general experience, then we have no other options."

At length Anakin sighed heavily, shaking his head. He could think of no one else. Strategically speaking, his son was the best candidate for the job. "Very well," Anakin said with as much strength as he could muster. "I will inform him of his assignment."

"Thank you, Master Skywalker." Mon Mothma said. "We understand that this is difficult for you."

Anakin could only nod in acknowledgement before returning to his seat. Rick glanced over at him, feeling sympathy for him. He knew what it was like to have a son on a dangerous mission and to be constantly worrying about his safety. He looked over at Ardeth's eyes to his own feelings reflected in their depths.

"Now, we must decide how much of the fleet to send. We dare not send everyone in case it is a trap, but we cannot risk failure, either." Mothma continued.

The leaders thought about this. They had very limited resources and they had to gauge how many ships would be needed to effectively defend the base and their pilots. General Madine spoke first. "I would say we need to send a minimum five X-Wing squadrons to attack the Death Star. We should send at least that many additional squadrons to hold their backs."

Han glanced from Leia's worried face to Anakin's tight expression and sighed. "Chewie and I will scout out the neighboring systems, see if we can find any signs of a trap."

Anakin's head snapped around to look at the man, as did Leia's and General Madine's. "Thank you, Captain Solo. Any help you two can provide would be appreciated," the general said, accepting his offer.

As Han's gaze met Anakin's, the Jedi nodded his thanks. Leia grabbed his hand and gave it an appreciative squeeze.

Han nodded back to Anakin, and turned to smile at Leia. Just behind him, Chewie huffed in amusement and ruffled Han's hair.

Rick looked at Ardeth in amusement. Then he glanced over at Padmé who also seemed relieved by his help.

Organa nodded. "Then we will need to begin preparations immediately." He turned to Anakin. "And we will need to have Luke present for the next meeting so we can give him the details of the operation once we have panned them out."

"I will make certain that he comes, and that he is prepared." Anakin promised, taking his datapad back and sitting down.

"Very well. May the Force be with us," Bail said by way adjournment. Many of the leaders began to move about, discussing the meeting with others present, or beginning to file out of the room to see to the arrangements to set their plan of attack into motion. Anakin stood and began walking numbly into a secluded hallway.

Ardeth found Padmé and led her to where Anakin had gone before slipping away to give the husband and wife privacy.

Anakin ran a hand over his face as he leaned against the wall. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely heard Padmé come up behind him.

Padmé wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him. "You know that Luke is well trained. If he was with the Jedi, he would have been going on missions for years now."

"I know." Anakin nodded placing his arms gently over Padmé's before turning around to embrace her. "I guess it me who's not ready for this. I mean, with any other mission, I wouldn't be as concerned, but this..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "You didn't see what he did to them. They never gave in, but he made them pay for it. And when I think about the possibility of you or either of our children falling into his hands..." he faltered, unwilling to speak the horrors that were crossing his mind at that moment. He clung tightly to his wife, as if he might lose her to the visions haunting him if he didn't hold onto her.

Padmé held him tight also. "I am scared of that happening, Ani, but our children are adults now. If the council feels they are mature enough to ask this of them, then we must support them."

Anakin nodded. He stroked her face tenderly. He was still afraid for his son, but she was right, as she always seemed to be. He kissed her and gave her another brief hug before heading with her back into the room to retrieve their friends and head back to their room.

Rick looked up as Ardeth walked over after escorting Padmé to where Anakin had gone. "You think he's gonna be okay?" he asked his brother as he neared.

"He will be fine. I believe he just needs a chance to realize that his son is no longer a child."

"Heh," Rick chuckled mirthlessly. "I hate it when that happens. It was the same between Alex and me in China. "I mean, who told him he could grow up anyways? I have to keep reminding myself he's a man now. Evy's constantly doing that for me," he groaned in amusement, shaking his head.

Ardeth laughed. "Azizah told me herself nearly two years ago, right before her marriage, that she was indeed an adult, and that I must learn to treat her as such."

Rick stifled a laugh. "You know it seems to take forever at some moments, but then before you know it, and way before you're ready for it, they're doing their own thing and you can't tell them what to do anymore. Or at least you can, but they don't listen." He shook his head, smiling.

"Well. What else should we do while we are here? We have trained Anakin's children in the use of their bond." Ardeth rubbed his beard thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure. I want to at least stay until this plan we helped them with plays out." Rick thought about suggesting sparring again, but discarded the idea, uncertain either of them would be ready for that after last time.

Ardeth nodded. "Of course. And we did tell everyone we would be gone for a week, and it has only been a day."

"Yeah," Rick said grimacing. "And I want Evy to have plenty of time to cool down before I head back. She's not going to be too happy with me, leaving the way I did, but hopefully she'll spend a lot of time with her niece and family."

The king nodded. "We never did teach Anakin how to use scimitars last time, did we?"

"No we didn't. And I think about now he could probably use the distraction."

At this time, Anakin and Padmé were coming back into the room and heading over to the two brothers.

Ardeth looked up at them. "When do you plan to inform Luke of his new mission?"

"When we get back to the apartment, if he's there. If he isn't we'll tell him over supper tonight," Anakin said. He seemed to be better now that he had talked this over with Padmé. Rick could still sense his misgivings, but he knew as a parent, that those never completely went away. But Anakin was much calmer now.

"Very well. Sometime while we are here, Rick and I would like to teach you to use a scimitar, if you are interested."

Anakin quirked an eyebrow at this. The offer was intriguing. He had never used an actually metal sword before. He remembered seeing them on the boys when they had arrived in the Temple all those years ago, but aside from seeing them then and in dusty old records of the Temple archives, he had no experience with these types of ancient weaponry. "I would like that very much," he said, accepting their offer.

Ardeth grinned. "Excellent. You will have to let us know when it is a good time for you. Our schedules are open right now."

Anakin nodded a weary smile on his face. "Now is good for me." He turned to his wife. "Do you mind, Padmé?" He didn't want to seclude her to herself but he knew the exertion would distract him.

Padmé smiled at him. "Not at all. Go have fun—just make certain to clean up as soon as you get back!"

"Thanks, Padmé," he said kissing his wife before he left with Rick and Ardeth leading them back to the sparring area. Rick handed his scimitar to Anakin. The Jedi hefted the weapon in his hand, he almost dropped it from the weight of it. Rick barely held in his laughter at this, thinking that he had had a similar instance when he had first started to train with this particular weapon.

Ardeth was trying not to smile as he watched Anakin try to deal with a weapon that had weight. "Begin with the basic forms—you know them already, so you have an advantage."

"Heh," Anakin chuckled. "Not sure how much of an advantage that is. Here's where I pay for being so difficult while training you how to use a lightsaber," he joked.

Ardeth shrugged. "I do not have to do a thing—your own muscles will make you pay, as you have never used a scimitar before."

"Good point," Anakin said with a smile as he began to run through basic forms. It was a good deal more difficult to do with how heavy the weapon was and when his blade connected with Ardeth's, he dropped his weapon from the shock of the impact that went up his arm. His eyes were wide. He could handle much worse pain than that, but he had not expected it to shake his entire frame like it had.

Unable to help it, Ardeth lowered his own scimitar and started laughing. "Anakin, you should see the expression on your face!"

Anakin looked up at the Med-jai with amazement. "And you fight full out with these things? Regularly?" he asked as he stooped to pick his weapon up again. He was finding new levels of respect now for Rick and Ardeth, and considering how he felt about them as comrades that was saying something.

The Med-jai king grinned. "Yes, the scimitar is the favored weapon of all Med-jai. We do make use of other weapons, and are proficient with most guns, but many of our enemies can only be defeated by decapitation."

Rick cast Ardeth an amused glanced as he watched from the sidelines.

Anakin picked up the sword again holding onto the weapon tightly and went through the basic forms, trying to adjust his method to compensate for the way the blade shook his arm.

Ardeth kept Anakin moving through the forms until he was more comfortable with the weight and the shock of clashing blades.

Rick watched the two, the scene reminding him slightly of his first training sessions with Ardeth.

It took Anakin a while to get used to the new weapon. But after a while, his strokes were steadier and his movements became more fluid.

"What would you like to do next?" Ardeth asked, resting the flat of his scimitar blade against his shoulder.

Anakin looked at Ardeth, his breathing a little hard from the exertion. "I think I need a break," he said shaking his head, feeling somewhat like a first year student.

"Very well. Rick, would you care to go a round?" Ardeth asked, raising an eyebrow. 'Since you cannot make the blade of a scimitar just disappear?'

Rick chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not gonna live that one down am I?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow in question.

"We were practicing sparring with lightsabers earlier, and Rick thought it would be a good idea to turn off his blade in the middle of the fight." Ardeth explained, as he took off his outer robes and put them in the corner.

Anakin had been in the process of handing Rick's scimitar back to him, but he looked the man square in the eyes. "Why?" He held onto the sword as Rick tried to take it.

"I was trying something out. And it worked, kinda," he said looking at his brother sadly. "Not the way I had expected it to, but it did work."

"Yes, you certainly won that round, although I think giving your twin a heart attack is not usually the prescribed way of winning."

Anakin was looking back and forth between the two in confusion.

"I turned off the lightsaber for a split second so I could reignite the blade inside his guard when he was coming at me. Only he was afraid that he would accidentally kill me with his momentum," Rick explained. "With a lightsaber dialed down to training mode, I thought the worst I would get if I failed was a burn, so I didn't think about it that way ahead of time."

Ardeth shook his head. "I didn't even think that it was on training mode—all I thought about was that my blow would kill you if it was not blocked."

Rick's shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you."

"Just so long as you promise never to do it again, I think I might survive the experience," Ardeth's voice was dry.

Rick smiled. "I promise. Not with you anyways. I don't think I'll be as considerate with mummies, or other creatures." He held his scimitar in a defensive posture in front of him as he stood opposite Ardeth.

Instead of making Rick attack like he normally did, Ardeth swung in, slashing and thrusting. Loud ringing filled the room as the two metal blades clashed time and again.

Anakin shook his head. He had been impressed with their skill when they were teenagers. But now that they had grown up and improved greatly in their form and technique he was stunned, especially after having tried the blade for himself. Rick and Ardeth dove in and out, parrying thrusting anticipating each other blow for blow. Rick was on the look out for that move Ardeth had surprised him with earlier on that day.

Knowing that Rick would be watching for the new move, Ardeth focused on some of his older moves, the ones that Rick was so used to him using that he never even thought about how to block them. And he changed those moves just a little bit.

Rick found himself barely getting his guard up once or twice. One thing that continued to surprise him was how easily his brother adapted his moves to take Rick by surprise, and Rick found himself infinitely grateful that Imhotep hadn't learned how to fight from him. Rick threw out a swing then quickly reversed it barely brushing Ardeth's hair but failing to reach his shoulder with the flat of the blade but hoping that had drawn Ardeth's attention slightly, Rick swept his leg out to take Ardeth's feet out from under him.

Ardeth took advantage of the attempted leg sweep to repeat his move from earlier, since Rick expected him to be falling, not jumping.

Rick barely saw the move in time and rolled forward to get away from Ardeth's blade.

Not giving Rick a reprieve, Ardeth rolled to his feet and continued to attack, moving even faster now.

Rick's blade was out in front of him as he whirled to face Ardeth, clashing blades with his brother. He pushed off on the sword with every ounce of strength he had trying to utilize his very slight advantage in height and leverage to his advantage to push Ardeth back.

The king let Rick push him back, and stepped out of reach for a moment, switching hands and attacking from a different angle.

Rick gained his balance barely in time and brought his scimitar out protect his side from Ardeth's attack. Then he rolled forward sweeping the blade Ardeth's legs as he went.

Jumping lightly over the blade, Ardeth twisted in midair. He nearly landed on Rick's back, but fell back a few steps before continuing the fight.

Rick had a slight opening, and he used it. As he came up from the roll he was right beside Ardeth. He quickly brought the flat of the blade up rest against the back of his twin's neck, nearly out of breath as he did so.

Ardeth held up his hands. "I yield," he said, before turning. "Well done, Rick."

Rick was exhausted, but a smile stretched across his face as he lowered his blade and clasped his brother's arm. "Thanks buddy."

Ardeth sheathed his own blade and stretched, then remembered that Anakin was in the room. He turned to look at the man.

"Heaven help the Sith that gets in your way," Anakin mused, shaking his head. "We could sure use men like you two on the front lines against the Empire."

"We are not nearly as proficient with the lightsabers as we are with scimitars." Ardeth said, pushing his hair back out of his face. "I have trained with the scimitar since I was able to walk, and Rick has had a great deal of training as well."

Anakin smiled. "And we thought we were teaching you back at the Temple. So are you two ready for some dinner? I'm sure you two could use a break. And maybe sometime tomorrow you guys could help me learn a little more with the scimitar."

"Food would be excellent. Yes, we must work hard to get you so that you can have at least one free duel with one of us before we must leave."

"That would be great," Anakin said as he walked with the Med-jai back to his family's rooms aboard the ship. He found Padmé preparing dinner as they got home.

Padmé glanced up as they came in and smiled. "Did it help, Anakin?"

"Yes it did," he smiled as he started to head to the refresher unit to clean up. "You would not believe the impact of the swords that they use!" he called as he disappeared into another room, stretching his stiff and aching sword arm.

Ardeth glanced over at Padmé. "I am afraid that your husband is going to be rather sore tonight."

She looked at Ardeth confused. Her husband was incredibly strong and in perfect health. Added to which he practiced with his lightsaber as often as he was able which was usually once or twice a day. "Why would he be so sore? He isn't injured is he?"

"No, he is not injured—our weapons have a bit more weight than a lightsaber does, however."

She winced in understanding as she began to set dinner out on the table.

Rick chuckled at her reaction as he sank wearily onto the couch. Leia came in a few moments later from her bedroom to help her mother.

Ardeth and Rick took turns using the spare 'fresher unit to clean up, and then they helped Padmé and Leia out, getting the food onto the table.

By the time they were almost finished, Luke walked in the door after doing some special training rounds with a couple members of his squadron.

“Hi, everyone!” Luke said, grinning. “I’ll be ready in just a minute, Mom, I need to get cleaned up.” The boy disappeared into the refresher, completely unaware of the tension in the room.

Both Med-jai noticed Leia and Padmé exchanging a worried glance before continuing in what they were doing. Soon Anakin came out of the refresher unit. They all could see that he had sensed Luke's presence. He sighed deeply as he sat at the table with the rest of the group now that dinner was ready. Anakin was determined to be mature about this, and he still had his misgivings about this mission but he knew he couldn't shield his son forever.

Moments later, Luke came back into the room, freshly scrubbed and still excited from flying. "Evening, everyone!" he said, sliding into his seat at the table.

Everyone greeted him warmly, masking the concern they felt. Anakin turned to his son. "Luke, I need to talk to you about something," he said. His voice was calm and his face tried to disguise the seriousness of the situation of which only Luke had no knowledge.

Luke looked up, instantly wary. "Is something wrong?" he asked, glancing around at the solemn faces.

Anakin took a second to phrase his answer. "The leaders of the Alliance have given me your first assignment," he said carefully.

The boy's eyes brightened, and he grinned. "Really? What is it?" he asked, all but bouncing in his seat.

Anakin's expression remained grave. "Luke, this is not your typical first assignment. Rick and Ardeth figured out a way to help us destroy the Death Star. We're going to have to send in a handful of X-Wing squadrons in an attempt to launch a proton torpedo into an exhaust port. If successful, it would cause a chain reaction that will destroy the station."

The young man's eyes widened. "Oh," he was quiet for a moment. "Why did they choose me for this? I haven't led on any missions yet—there are people a lot more experienced than me for something this important."

Anakin was silent for a moment. "There is the possibility that Palpatine will be there. If that is the case, we need to send someone he has never encountered before, or he will be able to sense our fighters' approaching," he explained to his son. "He will not recognize your Force signature. And you are the most skilled pilot we have that he will not recognize, so the leaders have asked me to give you this assignment. But there is a danger, Luke. We are not certain that Emperor Palpatine did not let us find this information so he could set a trap for any assault we attempt. He may be waiting for you."

Luke nodded slowly. "I will do my best with this mission." He promised. "When is the briefing? And when do I leave?"

"I know you will," Anakin said giving his son a small smile and placing his hand on his shoulder. "We will brief you tomorrow and then you will meet with your squadrons. The sooner we launch this operation the better and the greater chance of success. I believe you and your men will leave sometime tomorrow if all the preparations are in order." Anakin paused. "I know you can do this, but please be careful out there." His heart was pounding with all the things he wanted to say, with all the warnings he wanted to give his son, but first and foremost he wanted his son to know he believed in him, so he kept his fears inside.

Luke grinned at Anakin. "Of course I'll be careful, Dad." he said, and if Obi-Wan were there, he would have groaned. The grin on Luke's face was the exact same grin that Anakin had always used when he was younger and promising to try to stay out of trouble—which never worked.

Anakin made a mental note to himself to apologize to Obi-Wan at the first opportunity he got for all the worry and grief he had caused him. But he simply nodded, and the family turned to eat.

Rick glanced at Ardeth out of the corner of his eye, grimacing inwardly. He recognized that grin to from their own past experiences. 'This could be interesting,' he groaned to his brother through their bond.

'Very interesting. Tonight we will add our own protections to the bond between Luke and Leia—I have a feeling that they will need all the help that they can get.'

'Yeah,' Rick agreed emphatically.


	18. Chapter 18

The rest of the dinner went by pretty quietly. Luke was still excited about his first official mission and that the Rebellion was trusting him with something so important.

Rick and Ardeth volunteered to clean up after dinner, and as the two men moved, Ardeth slipped into their shared room. 'I will need all of the energy you can spare, Rick. I am going to both strengthen their bond and hide it from all but those who are already aware of it.'

Rick nodded, feeding Ardeth every ounce of energy he could spare.

Ardeth used the training bond he had established with Luke and Leia to locate their twin bond quickly. Using all of the energy Rick sent and all of his own energy, the Med-jai strengthened the bond far beyond what Luke and Leia would be able to do for years. With a simple twist of magic, he hid the bond from sight and sensing.

Luke and Leia sensed a change and each looked at the other briefly, each of them thinking their twin had strengthened the bond between them even though this felt slightly different. But since they had limited experience with the bond they weren't aware of what Ardeth had done, or even that the pulse had come from him.

Ardeth staggered slightly as he came out of his light meditation—he had used a lot of energy for that. 'Their bond is a great deal stronger now,' the king murmured.

Rick caught his brother, steadying him. When they both looked up, they saw Anakin looking at them. Once he held their gazes, he nodded subtly in gratitude.

Smiling at the Jedi, Ardeth straightened. He nodded his thanks to Rick, then continued with their task of cleaning.

Everyone went to bed early that night, knowing they would need all the energy for the next day and the battle that lay ahead of them. Because of the energy they had exerted on reinforcing Luke's and Leia's twin bond, Ardeth and Rick didn't take long to fall asleep.

The next morning, when Anakin got up, he was very careful going into the living room. He didn't want to repeat the experience of waking up Ardeth and Rick. But when he got out there, he found that Ardeth was already awake and having a staring contest with his lightsaber.

"Ardeth?" Anakin asked after few seconds, still unable to see what was wrong. If Ardeth were trying to move the object through the Force, he knew enough of his ability to know this would be no problem, even when he had been fourteen. "Are you alright?"

Ardeth looked up and smiled at Anakin. "I am fine. I am just trying to deal with my vision from yesterday."

Anakin's brow furrowed in confusion before he understood what Ardeth meant. "The duel you two fought yesterday," he murmured, nodding sympathetically.

"Yes. I have seen many visions of possible ways that Rick could die, but never before have I seen one where it was by my hand that he died. It . . . disturbs me a great deal."

Anakin's expression darkened. That would be a horrifying vision to relive. He looked over at Rick who was still sleeping on the other couch. He knew how close the brothers were and could see in Ardeth's eyes just how deeply this had affected him. He rested a hand on the king's shoulder. It was never easy to think about losing a loved one, but to think that you could be the cause of their death, Anakin couldn’t fathom what that would do to a person.

With a sigh, Ardeth took his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. "For now, I think I will just shield the memory—it will take me a while to deal with this completely."

"'Shield the memory?'" Anakin asked.

"An ancient Med-jai technique to help someone with a memory that they are unable to handle. Would you like to see how it is done?" Ardeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

Anakin nodded, intrigued by Ardeth's description. If the Jedi was able to do this, maybe he would be able to use it somewhere down the line when the pain of memory someone suffered was too much to bear.

Lowering his shields, Ardeth waited until Anakin was in his mind before bringing the memory out into the open. 'It is difficult to do this technique on yourself, so this may take me a little while,' he told Anakin, shivering from the pure terror radiating out of the memory.

Here in Ardeth's consciousness, Anakin could feel the fear from the memory as if it was his own. He saw what Ardeth had seen, and now understood fully why it had shaken him so. He watched as the Med-jai worked to lock this memory away for a time.

After Ardeth fell into a deep meditation, he was able to ignore the feelings emanating from the memory. He built layers of shielding around it, anchoring the shields to a section of his mind where it could be safely held for a long while before it had to be dealt with.

Anakin watch in amazement as this memory was encased. He committed Ardeth's methods to memory so that he could replicate the process in the future when necessary.

Finally done, Ardeth came out of his deep mediation and grinned as he realized that Rick was still asleep. 'Come with me—it is time for my brother to wake up.'

Anakin pulled back out of Ardeth's mind as they both came back to the real world.

Ardeth considered Rick for a long moment, before smirking and pulling a small phial out of his robes. He cracked it open a tiny bit, and wafted the scent towards Rick, before quickly sealing it again.

Rick gagged, falling off the couch, as the smelling salts had startled him awake. He just barely managed to avoid hitting his head on the table next to them. He threw a glare at his brother as he sat up. "You know that's a dangerous thing to do to someone who watches your back so often buddy," he commented darkly, his eyes narrowed with annoyance.

The Med-jai king's eyes widened, making him look much younger, and completely innocent. "Oh, my brother, this is just repayment for the bog you pushed me into the last time we were together!"

Rick's face matched Ardeth's as he picked himself up off the floor. "I don't know what you're talking about. That must have been Alex. He can sneak up on people really well. I think Gen must have been giving him secret lessons."

Anakin laughed as he looked between the two of them. "Come on, you two. I'll get some breakfast ready."

Rick swatted at the back of Ardeth's head lightly as he moved over to sit at the table. "So when is the meeting with the leaders today?"

"Not for nearly three hours." Anakin said, as he moved around the kitchen with practiced ease. "Luke is going to be impossible to keep calm."

Rick chuckled softly. "Yeah, my son Alex was like that when we finally let him start accompanying us on digs."

"So, my brother, how did you sleep?" Ardeth asked, grinning.

Rick turned to Ardeth, eyes narrowed. "You mean until my rather rude awakening?" he asked, quirking his eyebrows. "I slept fine. Weird dreams but boring. I like boring dreams," he said, smiling as he shook his head. "How about you?"

"I slept quite well—magical exhaustion is certainly one way to ensure an excellent sleep. How are your reserves now, after sleep?"

"They're almost completely up," Rick said nodding. Then he turned to look at their host. "How did you sleep last night?" he asked seriously. He didn't know how well Anakin would be able to sleep considering the danger one of his children was going into.

"Better than I expected. Padmé always knows when I'm upset about something, and she can always get me to relax, somehow."

"Good," Rick said with a small smile. He thanked Anakin as he set the food on the table for them, digging in hungrily.

"So, have you two learned a lot of fun tricks in the past several years?" Anakin asked, sitting down and starting to eat also.

Rick chuckled. "Well, you've seen the kind of training we've had with the scimitar. In the past few years we've seen many incredible things and been to death's door and back more times than we can count. What kind of mischief have we gotten into the past few years?" he asked Ardeth as he ran through their various memories in his head, a broad smile across his face.

The younger man laughed. "Well, there were the many flying expeditions. My opinion of flying has not improved over the years." He said to Anakin, thinking of the last time he had gone flying.

Rick chuckled. He wondered what kind of reaction Ardeth would have if he had ever flown with Mad Dog Maguire. Then he decided that he could never subject his brother to his methods.

Anakin chuckled. "I'm pretty sure that Obi-Wan would be with you. He always said 'Flying's for droids,' even though there isn't a droid that could hold a candle to how good a pilot he is." Then Anakin grinned wickedly. "I must confess that when I was an unruly padawan I used to save all my best stunts to perform while he was riding with me."

"If I can help it, I am never going to fly with you." Ardeth said, shaking his head. "There were a great many pranks we played, also. That one where we confused that group of bandits into turning themselves in was excellent!"

Rick nodded laughing. "Yeah! That'll teach them to rob our camp!"

"And of course, there was the prank war with the Cousins."

"Yeah and they thought that it would end when they all got married." Rick's eyes glimmered with an evil light. "We just gained new conspirators. We take the heat for them so that they can join in the fun without fearing negative repercussions."

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What's this?" he asked, finishing his food and leaning back in his chair.

"Ardeth has a lot of cousins, all women," Rick explained. "Ever since we were young, we've enjoyed playing pranks on them. One time we used magic to switch all the furniture in their rooms."

"I'm sure that went over well," Anakin laughed. "The women I know would be very upset at anything like that."

Rick nodded. "Yeah, Dad saved our necks that time by diverting them. It's even more fun to do when they were asleep. More of a challenge and so much more satisfying when they wake up in a totally different room."

"What's so funny?" Luke asked, sliding into his seat next to Anakin.

Anakin looked at Luke with a smile on his face as he waved at the two Med-jai. "These two have a death wish. Can you imagine the sort of reaction your mother would have if on of us used the Force to switch all her furniture including the bed she's sleeping in into a totally different room in the middle of the night?"

Luke's eyes widened. "I don't think even Yoda would be able to save us if we did that!"

"Exactly! Now tell them," he motioned at Rick and Ardeth as he stood to bring some food to the table for Luke.

"What?" Rick asked. "We're still here, aren't we?"

"We did the first furniture switch when we were fourteen, and then around once a year after that. It helps that I am king—it makes it difficult for them to murder me." Ardeth said, dryly.

"So that's why you've 'been to death's door and back' more times than you can count," Anakin said as he sat down next to Luke and set the plate he had prepared down in front of his son.

"Well, really that's just half of the times actually," Rick admitted with a shrug as he finished his food.

Ardeth snickered. "Yes, the rest of the times were from one of our adventures gone wrong, and then Amir's reaction to those adventures."

Anakin shook his head. No wonder their father wasn't surprised to find them so injured all those year ago, he though to himself.

Rick stood with his now empty plate in hand, looking to Ardeth. "Are you finished?" he asked his brother pointing to his plate.

With a nod, Ardeth handed his plate to his twin. "Do you remember when Azizah and Alex decided that they had to bathe their pet camel in the palace baths?"

Rick burst out laughing at this. "And Evy and all your remaining cousins were so dismayed because the entire area on their side of the palace smelled like wet camel!" After setting the plates down and returning to the table Rick cocked a questioning eyebrow at Ardeth. "I never found out from Alex. How were they able to get that camel in there in the first place?"

"Azizah used her abilities to speak with the camel, and convince it to walk on its knees to come inside. They also widened the doorframes for several doors before the attempt."

Anakin and Luke looked at each other. They had never seen a camel so they didn't know what kind of a challenge this would pose. "I take it a camel is pretty big?" Anakin guessed.

Ardeth glanced at the ceiling of the room they were in. "The camel's back is about level with the ceiling in this room, and its head and humps are much taller."

The two followed his gaze and nodded understandingly now.

"Yeah, even I have to admit, wet camel is not a pleasant smell," Rick said grimacing.

"No, it is not. I am very thankful that my bedchamber was upwind and on the opposite side of the palace." Ardeth shook his head. "It is good that those two did not spend more of their childhood together, or the planet would not have survived."

"Well, it seems to have survived you two well enough," Anakin joked, settling back into his chair. "Or at least, I surmise so. I can't say for certain since I haven't been there to see the damage you to have wrought."

Ardeth and Rick exchanged a glance and decided to remain silent about that.

Anakin smiled triumphantly and burst out laughing at their response, or rather lack there of. "It seems that your children are a lot like you two."

"Alex takes after Evelyn a great deal also, which is a disturbing combination."

"And how's that?" Luke asked.

"Well, Evy's kind of accident prone," Rick said with a rueful grin on his face.

"And extremely intelligent, but not necessarily able to apply that intelligence to predicting the end results of a certain action." Ardeth shook his head, remembering some of the things the children had gotten into.

"'No harm ever came from reading a book'," Rick shook his head in dismay. "I love that woman, but sometimes I have to protect her from herself."

Luke looked back and forth between the men. "What's wrong with reading a book?"

Rick groaned hitting his head on the table. Of course it was perfectly understandable that Luke wouldn't see the inherent danger. "It's more what book you read, really," his muffled voice came through the table. "But my wife managed to get a hold of the Book of the Dead," he said as he sat back upright.

"The Book of the Dead? That doesn't sound good." Anakin greeted Leia as she came in with a quick hug.

"It isn't," Rick said rubbing a hand over his face. "With it, she woke up a creature possibly equally as evil as Palpatine."

Anakin's eyes widened. "That is not good at all. I hope you destroyed the book?"

"Oh, we have," Rick assured him. "We don't wanna risk our buddy coming back a third time."

"A third time? Meaning you two have already fought him twice?" Anakin shook his head.

“Yup. He didn’t get the message the first time around,” Rick said, nodding grimly. “Though to Evy’s credit, she didn’t bring him back the second time; it was her boss and the creature’s old girlfriend. The Book of the Dead had gotten buried when all the buildings of the city it was in collapsed. They found it and dug it up.” He shuddered slightly to think of that whole ordeal which had played out from the kidnapping of his wife to the kidnapping of his son and had not been over once the mummy had been vanquished yet again. Ardeth’s injuries had been so severe that Rick had almost lost him.

Ardeth caught a glimpse of Rick’s thoughts, and put a hand on his shoulder. “But that is over, and to the best of my knowledge, there is no other way to bring the creature back.”

Anakin sighed nodding his head. "Good. I'm sure that's a relief for the two of you not having to worry about that anymore." He prayed inwardly that the Rebel Alliance would be so fortunate with Sidious.

"Now, do we have time for a bit of sparring before the next meeting? I'm certain Luke would like to try out some of our weapons." Ardeth suggested, with a grin.

Anakin smiled. "We have another two hours. That should be enough time for a round or two." He turned to Luke. "You'll want to keep a tight grip on your sword if you do fight with their weapons, I'm still sore from yesterday."

Luke's eyes widened. "You're sore?" he asked, amazed. The only time he had ever known his father to be hurt was after a mission gone wrong, or once or twice when sparring with Obi-Wan.

"Exactly," Anakin said nodding as he cleared Luke's empty plate away. "We'll need to come back to clean up before the briefing."

Rick stood grabbing his scimitar, clipping his lightsaber to his belt, and shoving a handgun into its holster out of habit.

Ardeth stood also, gracefully belting on his scimitar. He rolled his eyes slightly at Rick. His brother didn't know that Ardeth was currently carrying several knives on his person.

Once everyone was ready, Anakin told Leia they'd be gone for a while and where they'd be if they were needed. Then he led the Med-jai and his son out the door to head to the sparring room.

Once in the sparring room, Ardeth took off his outer robes and gently set aside his scimitar before stretching. 'This will be fun,' he said to Rick, through their bond.

Rick smiled at his brother, stretching as well. He handed his scimitar to Luke, laying the weapon in the boy's hands, allowing his hands to hover subtly beneath it for a moment to catch the sword if, unused to the weight, the boy dropped it.

Luke grunted slightly as he hefted it and swung it around. "You actually fight with this?" He demanded, turning to look at the Med-jai.

Rick laughed as he cast a glance back over his shoulder at Ardeth and Anakin before turning back to Luke. "Funny, that's exactly what your dad said yesterday."

The two Skywalkers exchanged a glance. Both were determined to learn to use these weapons, but they knew that they would definitely end up sore. Ardeth beckoned Anakin over to him.

"You will be using my scimitar, but do not come near to me while wielding her. She is very . . .protective of me."

Anakin lifted the golden scimitar, looking between the blade and its owner curiously. "'She'?" he repeated, his tone curious.

"Her name is Beset, and she has been in the Med-jai royal family ever since the Med-jai were founded." Ardeth shook his head. "Because most of the royal family are magic-users, and bonded to the family weapon, she gained some measure of sentience."

Rick nodded. "One time I got her away from Ardeth while we were practicing and I came at him with both his and my sword." O'Connell groaned, wincing. "Big mistake. I'm lucky Ardeth intervened when he did."

Ardeth snickered. "You are also fortunate also that you are part of the royal family, even though it is by adoption. If I was injured, she would let you use her."

"Well, that's a relief," Rick shook his head. "So I can touch your sword again without fearing for my life so long as I don't point it at you."

"Who do you want to coach, my brother? Anakin or Luke?" Ardeth asked, stepping away from Anakin so that the man could safely warm up.

"I think I'll coach Luke. We don't need you opposite Anakin when he has Beset," Rick reasoned.

"Very true." Ardeth turned to look at the two Skywalkers. "We will begin with you two doing the basic drills. Luke, you attack first, Anakin, you defend. The forms are identical to the ones that you are used to, there is just a little more weight involved."

Rick showed Luke the proper way to hold the blade to best balance out the weight, assuring Luke that it had taken him quite sometime to get it right himself.

Anakin chuckled slightly at his own situation. "This is ironic; our positions are reversed," he said to Ardeth as Rick helped his son. "Now you're the older one, helping to train me."

Ardeth grinned at that. "That is ironic. However, I do not believe I am that much older than you. I am 42, while Rick just turned 43. So you are what, one year younger than I am?”

"True," Anakin said nodding. "Still the time difference between here and your world still blows my mind."

Rick stepped back as Luke hefted his blade, using the method Rick had shown him.

"Beset is actually heavier than Rick's scimitar, so when blocking, you may want to use both hands." Ardeth said, guiding Anakin into place for the drill.

Anakin nodded, grateful for the advice, especially after his experience yesterday. He then looked to Luke to see if he was ready.

Luke nodded, and when Anakin nodded back, the young man attacked slowly. Like Anakin, Luke nearly dropped the blade the first time they clashed together.

Anakin nodded sympathetically at his son. "They have quite a kick to them, don't they?" He waited for Luke to recover from the blow. "I did the same thing yesterday."

"It'll take you a while to get used to the impact tremor," Rick said, trying to encourage the boy, "but remember to hold the hilt like I showed you. That way you can't be as easily disarmed."

"The best way to get used to it is to keep doing it." Ardeth told them. Try again, Luke."

Luke nodded, gripping the scimitar carefully and rotating his shoulder once before he started to go through basic offense again. Both father and son moved slowly so that they could grow accustomed to the way the blades shook their frames.

After the two men got comfortable, Ardeth switched their positions, so that Anakin was attacking and Luke defending. He circled them, offering advice as they moved.

Luke ran through the defenses also doing as Ardeth had instructed his father earlier when it came to bracing the blade. All the while the two Med-jai would offer advice and help them to keep their form with these foreign weapons.

Several minutes later, Ardeth called a break. Both Luke and Anakin were starting to look tired. "Both of you, stretch out. You especially, Luke—you do not want to be sore later." Ardeth said, taking his scimitar back from Anakin.

Luke handed Rick his scimitar as he began to stretch his aching muscles. He looked up at his father with a look that said, "No wonder you're still sore."

Anakin laughed, and led Luke over to the edge of the room to stretch out. Ardeth grinned at Rick. "Are you ready, my brother?"

Rick nodded as he stood opposite the king. Initiating combat this time, he dove forward with his sword flying in graceful arcs.

At the ring of steel on steel as Ardeth blocked the strikes, Luke wheeled around and stared, completely amazed. Both men moved as fast as a Jedi sparring with lightsabers.

Anakin noted his son's amazement with their technique was not unlike his own and his master's when they had come upon Ardeth and Rick sparring like they were now eighteen years before.

"That's amazing!" Luke whispered, as Ardeth ducked and rolled under one of Rick's swings, nearly cutting his twin's legs out from under him.

Anakin smiled, resting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Think how stunned we were when they first arrived at the Jedi Temple and were already almost as good at this as they are now," he commented, quirking an eyebrow in his son's direction.

O'Connell rolled away from his brother's attack, then rose to his feet, bringing his sword around behind him quickly to protect his back as he stood. Then he swung his blade hard, trying to dislodge Beset from Ardeth's grasp.

Ardeth met the blow strongly, bracing both hands on his scimitar. But as soon as he had checked the force of Rick's strike, he turned into the blow, getting inside his brother's guard and twisting so their scimitars were locked together.

Rick saw what he was doing and was pulling them both backward, wrapping a strong arm around his brother's waist to ensure that this time Ardeth couldn't simply let him fall back. Throwing his weight, he tried to set them into a roll where would come out on top so he could pin his brother.

As they fell, both lost their grips on their scimitars, turning the match into a wrestling match, where Rick has a definite advantage.

Rick distributed his weight over his brother's chest and grabbed his arms trying to hold them to the floor.

Ardeth caught one of Rick's arms and pulled it, at the same time thrusting his weight to the side to try to get out from below his twin.

Rick tried to hold his place, but to keep his balance he lost his grip on his brother's arm, catching himself before he fell onto the floor.

Taking advantage of Rick's distraction, Ardeth slid out from under the taller man, and snatched up his scimitar from where it lay, whirling to end the match.

Rick felt the cool blade resting on his throat, and eyed the sword with amusement. "You know I'm part of the royal family too. Are you gonna let him treat me like this?" he joked, talking to the sword.

The blade visibly shivered in Ardeth's hands, considering that, then, pressed a little closer to Rick's neck. Ardeth laughed. "I am king, my brother, and I have not passed her on to my heir. Besides, after all of our adventures, she is quite overprotective of me."

Rick shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try. I yield," he said conceding the match to his brother.

Sheathing his scimitar, Ardeth stepped back and smiled at Rick. "Excellent match, my brother."

"Thanks," Rick said smiling back as he rose to his feet. He went over to pick up his own scimitar, likewise sheathing it.

Ardeth turned back to Anakin and Luke. "Are you two ready for another round?" He asked, smiling at Luke's wide eyes.

Anakin shook his head. "Later we would be glad to take you up on that offer. But we have to get cleaned up before the meeting starts. And besides," he chuckled patting Ardeth on the shoulder, "I don't know how you expect us to follow that up."

"Very well." Ardeth retrieved his outer robes, but rather than putting them back on, he carried them folded over one arm.

They all came back to their rooms the Skywalker residence. By this time Padmé was up, already ready for the meeting sitting in the living room area. "Did you boys have fun?" she asked as the men walked in the door.

Luke nodded enthusiastically. "You should watch them sometime, Mom! It's amazing! They move as fast as Dad and Uncle Obi-Wan do when they're really going at it, and their blades make all this noise!"

Padmé smiled at her son's description looking between him and their two guests. "I shall have to make a point of that sometime," she said nodding eagerly, having been given a similar report by Anakin the day before. She was amused that their descriptions had been almost word-for-word the same. She looked over to her husband. "When Leia told me where you had gone, I got ready early so the refresher unit would be free by the time you got back. It's all yours."

"Thank you, Padmé." Anakin kissed her and left before she could start complaining about stinky men.

Luke went to get ready in his own room while Ardeth and Rick once again took turns utilizing the spare refresher unit. It was almost time to go by the time all the men were ready.

The entire Skywalker family gathered in the living room, talking quietly to ease the tension. Leia was giving Luke lots of last-minute advice on how to properly address the council.

Rick looked over at Ardeth. 'Well, here we go,' he sighed, hoping that the plan they had come up with wouldn't backfire.

Ardeth nodded. The two Med-jai followed behind the Skywalkers as they went to meet the leadership of the Rebellion.


	19. Chapter 19

Luke was wound with excitement in eager anticipation of actually going out on a real mission. Anakin was stoically silent, trying to hide his concern. By the time they reached the hall, Obi-Wan was already present and gestured for them to sit next to him.

Luke sat next to Obi-Wan, and suddenly became very serious. The holo was playing a loop of the simulated destruction, only now with the X-wings added in.

Obi-Wan smirked at the boy's apparent sudden change, but could still feel his exhilaration bubbling under the surface. He looked over at Anakin to see how he was handling this.

Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan. His face was pale, but he was holding onto his composure. "Was it like this for you every time I went on a mission?" he asked, quietly, sitting on the other side of his former master.

"Somewhat. It was I supposed a little easier for me since I was with you for a good deal of your missions. But once you were no longer my padawan, yes, it was quite the same." He smiled sadly at Anakin. "But you survived, in fact, you excelled. And I have not doubt your son will as well." Obi-Wan's eyes were encouraging. "He is too much like his father to do much else."

Anakin snorted, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. "Hopefully he didn't inherit the getting into trouble thing from me."

Obi-Wan nodded his agreement. "One can only hope," he said, turning a sly grin at Anakin. "Maybe he will take after his mother more in that respects." Somehow he very much doubted that, but he didn't let that show through to Anakin. He was worried enough as it was.

"I certainly hope so." Anakin muttered, then grew quiet as Mon Mothma stood up to speak.

Mon Mothma quickly reviewed the information they had gone over the day before so that those who were not present at the last meeting were brought up to speed. She also quickly explained the battle plan in time with the simulation. "We have made the necessary preparations and are going to launch five X-Wing fighters to attempt to deliver the payload into the exhaust port you see indicated here at the end of this service trench," she said waving at the hologram with one hand, and manipulating the controls with the other to zoom the image in on the structure of the trench itself. "There will be ion cannon towers at the port end of the trench, and it won't be long before imperial fighters are dispatched to intercept our own."

Admiral Akbar stood. "There will be several squadrons of B and A wings to run interception and prevent the imperial pilots from interfering. Captain Solo has volunteered to scout the surrounding systems and watch for any imperial activity that could indicate a trap. But we cannot afford to call back—once the Imperials realize what we are aiming for, if we fail, they will seal off that weakness and take away our only chance of destroying the Death Star."

"The Emperor is supposed to oversee the final stages of the development of his new weapon," Bail chimed in. "Since our information on when exactly that will be is sketchy at best, there is also a possibility that Palpatine himself could be present or nearby. Because of this, as we told most of you yesterday, we need someone he has never faced before to lead the attack." All eyes turned to Luke. "Young Skywalker, with your exceptional abilities as a pilot, we can think of no one else better suited to lead this attack. We realize that this would be your first assignment, and that the risk is great. You are not required to accept this mission. Are you willing to lead our forces against the Death Star?"

Luke took a deep breath and stood up straight. "Yes sir, I am willing to take this mission."

Organa nodded, solemnly. He had mixed feelings about this. He considered Anakin and Padmé both very close friends and he hated to ask so much of their son. Though he also felt proud of the boy taking on such responsibility. Having watched him and Leia grow up, they were like children to both he and his wife. But they had precious little choice whatever his personal feelings. "So be it."

"Luke Skywalker, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Commander. Your mission objective is to destroy the Death Star, at any cost. Do you understand?" General Madine demanded, staring at Luke.

Luke stood tall and erect like the soldier and the Jedi he was. "Yes, sir," came the response, sounding a good deal like his father in that moment, and yet with his own individuality as well. "My men and I won't let you down."

Bail came over, and handed Luke a datapad. "Here is all of the information we have that relates to this mission. You have three hours to prepare and to contact your team."

"Yes, sir," Luke said taking the datapad and bowing in acknowledgment of the mission he had just been assigned.

"Dismissed, In two hours, support staff, report to your positions." The meeting broke up, with several people stopping to congratulate Luke. All the Skywalkers were well-known to the rebellion leaders.

Luke thanked those who had come up to him, and threw a smile over at his father, looking for his approval.

Anakin managed a smile for Luke, then gave up on controlling his emotions and pulled the young man into a hug. "I am very proud of you, Luke."

Luke hugged his father back, beaming at Anakin's words. "Thank you father."

Rick watched the scene, then exchanged glances with Ardeth and Obi-Wan who were standing next to him. "He's a good father," Rick said quietly.

"He is," Ardeth agreed. Obi-Wan nodded.

"Yes, he is an excellent father. How long are you two here for? I might try to get the Jedi Council here to discuss the Code."

"We plan to be here at least another five days," Rick answered. "We'd be glad to help with that however we can."

Obi-Wan smirked. "Then I will definitely see if I can arrange a meeting of the Jedi Council. They intend to strip Anakin of his Jedi status as soon as this war is over, and I will not let that happen."

Rick's face grew dark, looking at Ardeth before turning back to Obi-Wan again. "We won't either. Having a family is probably the only thing that kept him from falling to the dark side in the first place, surely they have to see that!" he insisted.

"A few of them see that, but most are willfully blind." Obi-Wan shook his head. "I will contact them, and let you know when the meeting will take place. If it is alright with you, I will not inform them that you are back—I think it will be much more profitable to surprise them."

Rick and Ardeth both nodded in understanding and agreement. "We'll be there," O'Connell said. "Where is the Jedi Council stationed since that whole thing back at the Temple?"

"Most of the younglings and the Council are on Dantooine. Those of us who are able, though, travel with the Rebellion, offering what help we can."

"Hopefully this plan will help you get closer to taking Sidious down. This kind of investment," here he gestured to the holo of the Death Star, "has to take a huge chunk out of his resources."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan smoothed a hand over his beard. "We are hopeful that if this succeeds, he will not easily be able to start a new one, and it may cause many more systems to join us."

By this time a great many people had left the meeting hall. The Skywalkers walked over to the trio. "We're heading back to our rooms. Luke needs to study the battle plan and notify his wingmen," Anakin said to the three. "Will you be joining us, Obi-Wan?"

"I believe I will. That is, if your beautiful wife does not mind." Obi-Wan said, with a grin and a bow for Padmé.

"Not at all, Master Jedi," she said smiling warmly at their old friend. "We'd be glad to have your company."

"Very well then, I will most certainly be joining you." The group made their way back to the living quarters, talking quietly.

As soon as they got home, Luke sequestered himself away, memorizing every bit of information he could and using his commlink to call up the men in his squadron to inform them of the plan. In a short wile he would have to brief them and he wanted to be prepared.

"Do you remember the first time Father sent us on different missions?" Ardeth asked, as the adults sat in the living room and talked.

"Oh, man," Rick exclaimed, thinking back. "After all the missions we had been on together, it was so odd being apart. I think he did that so we would get into less trouble. But then we both got into trouble but in two totally different places at the same time."

"Yes, that drove him insane—he never knew which of us to rescue first." Ardeth shook his head, smiling.

Rick chuckled at the memory. The rest of the group stared at them incredulously.

"And how exactly did you two last to reach adulthood?" Obi-Wan asked, shaking his head.

"Fate had much more in store for us than just our childhood." The Med-jai king said, with a shrug. "For that matter, we know we have a great deal more to do still—after all, we have not yet met SG-1."

"SG-1? What is that?" Padmé asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"When we were younger, not long before our first trip to this galaxy, we met up with some travelers from the future of our planet. We ended up going back to the future with them, and while there, we met our adult selves." Ardeth explained, trying to keep a straight face.

"That must have been odd," Leia said.

"In more ways than one," Rick assured her.

"Did you recognize yourselves right away?" Leia asked, fascinated with the idea. Ardeth shook his head.

"No, I thought my adult self was my father."

"You what?" Rick burst out. He had been unconscious when his brother had done so, and Ardeth had failed to fill him in on that little detail for obvious reasons. He laughed, a triumphant smile on his face. "I cannot believe it! And you say I look old!"

Ardeth shot a glare at Rick. "Well, our adult selves were much older! If my dates are correct, we met them when they were nearly 100! And besides, Father never looked old."

"That's not the version that Evy and the gang back home are going to hear," Rick teased mercilessly, a wicked glint dancing in his eyes.

The king's eyes narrowed. "At first I was terrified of you—you just appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me. I was very confused about what an old man was doing in the ruins of Hamunaptra."

"Next time I'll be sure to wait until our enemies have made our position before I carry you off to safety," Rick comment dryly, though the edges of a smile still quirked the corners of his mouth.

The younger man rolled his eyes. "You go ahead and do that. And what should I do the next time it is my turn to carry you to safety?"

"You can plant a neon sign on my back," Rick suggested, giving his brother a small shove.

"I don’t know about you, but I'd say they’re related?" Anakin commented to his former master and the rest of his family with a grin. "What do you guys think?"

There was a chorus of agreement from everyone else, along with much laughter. Luke came out of his room, looking curious. "What's going on?"

"Ardeth and Rick are having a battle of wits," Anakin said standing and turning to see his son suited up in full gear all ready to go to the briefing and then launch the mission.

At that, they all stood. Padmé and Leia kissed Luke's cheek and hugged him tightly. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ardeth and Rick all shook his hand. Ardeth cast a silent medium strength protection spell on the young man, as well as sending another pulse of strength through Luke and Leia's twin bond.

"I'll see you guys on the other side," Luke said, holding his family's gaze a moment longer.

"May the Force be with you, my son," Anakin said with a bow of respect.

Luke bowed back. "And with you." He left the room, leaving a palpable emptiness behind him. Once the door closed behind Luke, Leia fled into her room, trying to muffle her tears.

Anakin's shoulder slumped slightly and he took a few staggering steps backward to sink heavily to the couch, his head in his hands. He was taking deep breaths to try to calm his heart.

Padmé almost leapt into Anakin's arms, shaking. Ardeth, Rick, and Obi-Wan exchanged glances. 'I will calm Leia, you and Obi-Wan calm Anakin and Padmé.' Ardeth said, after a moment's thought. He had managed to survive raising Azizah himself, so he knew some of how a teenage girl's mind worked.

Rick nodded and looked to Obi-Wan directing the Jedi Master's gaze at the younger couple. Obi-Wan nodded catching his meaning as they lowered themselves onto the couch on either side of them.

Ardeth let himself into Leia's room, leaving the door open a crack so that the murmur of voices from the living room could be heard. He sat next to the girl flung onto her bed, and began gently rubbing her back, singing softly in Arabic.

After a while, the girl's shuddering shoulders began to still. The haunting melody and the lilting tone of the king's voice was soothing. Her breathing began to level out gradually. At length, she spoke a question she had been wondering, but had known better then to pain the king by asking. "What did you do when your brother was in danger? When you were worried for his safety?" her muffled words drifted back to the Med-jai.

Ardeth kept up the motion of rubbing her back as he thought about the question. "Those times when I could not go to save him, I always held him close through our bond. I blocked away all of my doubts and fears, I gave him all of my strength and magic, and I prayed. Right now, the most important thing for Luke is to feel nothing but love and support from you and the rest of your family. He needs to know that you believe he can do this."

"I do believe he can do this," Leia said nodding as she turned over. Her eyes were red and swollen, and tears streaked her face. "And I know my parents do to, we're just worried about what would happen to him if . . ." she looked at him for a second, before bowing her head and muttering, ". . . if somehow Palpatine got a hold of him."

"Now that fear I can understand quite well," Ardeth had a distant, bleak look in his eyes as he remembered events long in the past. He shook the memories off and focused on Leia. "If something happens and Palpatine does capture Luke, this I swear to you—I will rescue your brother."

Leia seemed to search Ardeth's eyes, then seeing that he was in earnest, she nodded. "Thank you," she whispered, breathing deeply.

"You are most welcome, Leia. Now, come, dry your eyes and wash your face. We must go up to the control room so we can hear what is happening." Ardeth stood, offering Leia a hand up.

Leia took his hand and went over to the wash basin, splashing water on her face. After a moment she straightened and turned to follow Ardeth out of her quarters.

Out in the main room, Ardeth was glad to see that Obi-Wan and Rick had succeeded in calming Anakin and Padmé down.

Rick nodded to his brother as he entered the room. Anakin looked up, obviously drained, but feeling a little more at ease now. He rose to his feet, Padmé holding onto his arm, standing with him. "It's time," he said softly, but there was more strength in his voice now. He turned to Rick and Ardeth. "Will you two come to the control room with us?"

"If there are no objections to us being there, then certainly." Ardeth said, running his fingers through his hair to straighten it.

"There won't be," Anakin assured him. "Everyone knows how much you both have contributed to this. Thank you." The Jedi placed a hand on each mans' shoulders.

"It is our pleasure to help out," Together, the group went to the control room, where they could hear real-time what was happening in the battle.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The last of the Imperial fighters had made it through the rebel defenders and was zeroing in on Skywalker's fighter. But Luke was committed now. It was do or die. He focused all his attention on the exhaust port, letting the Force move his hands on the control yoke of his fighter. Suddenly a warning buzzer alerted him that the enemy fighter had locked onto him. He was so close! Then he heard an explosion behind him, but he realized with amazement that his fighter hadn't been hit. Then, he heard a triumphant whoop over the comm.

"You're all clear kid," Han Solo's welcome voice crackled to life in the ship’s sonic emitters. "Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

"Thanks, Han," Luke said with a smile, before turning his attention back to his task. Thirty seconds later, they were flying away as fast as their ships could take them, as torpedoes traveled into the depths of the Death Star.

After a moment or two the Death Star burst like a supernova, the wave of debris flying out ward in a brilliant flash of light.

"Great shot kid! That was one-in-a-million!" Han congratulated over the comm.

"Thanks, Han. Let's get out of here, everyone!" Luke said, switching to the general channel and starting to sort out how many of his squad had been taken out while he had been doing the trench run.

After a second, Han looked out of the transparisteel canopy cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as a fleet of Imperial ships dropped into view from hyperspace. "Luke! We've got company!" he called to his friend as alarms on his console started to blare. "I'd searched all the neighboring systems; they were all clear! They must have been hiding two jumps out!"

Luke looked up, and sucked in a shocked breath. "Control, there are over twenty star destroyers here—I see an Imperial-Class—it's the Emperor's personal one. There are two interdictor ships, so we can't jump into hyperspace!"


	20. Chapter 20

Everyone in control who had been celebrating the success of the mission now blanched, every face going pale. Rick looked over at Ardeth, his face grim.

'Well. It looks like we might get a chance to deal with Palpatine ourselves, then.' Ardeth said to Rick, moving to stand close to Anakin.

Rick nodded, his jaw set in determination. 'And this time, it ends.'

Anakin was gripping the console in front of him with all his strength. "No, please no," he whispered quietly to no one as his worst fears were being realized.

Solo could be heard muttering angrily. "They've got us in a tractor beam."

Mon Mothma spared a sympathetic glance for the Skywalkers, but turned her attention back to the console. "You all know standard procedure—make certain to wipe your computers of anything that could lead them back to us! We will send a rescue team after you as fast as we can but, count on at least a week in captivity. Give us two days before you tell them anything so that we can move all our bases.

"Confirmed, Control," Luke answered bravely.

Anakin turned and strode from the control room swiftly heading back to their apartments. Rick followed him, recognizing the look on Anakin's face. It had been the same look he had after his son was taken by Imhotep and his red temple guards.

'I will stay with Padmé and Leia,' Ardeth sent to Rick, grabbing each of the ladies and pulling them close to him, offering what comfort he could.

Rick nodded in acknowledgement even though his brother couldn't see it. He lengthened his stride to match Anakin's falling instep beside the Jedi. "You're heading back to your quarters to gear up aren't you?" he guessed.

"Yes," Anakin growled, not slowing in the least. Any people they passed pushed themselves out of hte way, not daring attract Anakin's attention.

Rick nodded. "Then give Ardeth and I the time to gear up and come with you."

Anakin stopped at that, and turned to stare down Rick. "You think I'm going to let you go anywhere near Palpatine after what that—that Sith-snake did to you two last time?"

Rick held his ground his stare matching Anakin's. "We're not children anymore. And we both know what he's capable of. You're going to need all the help you can get." His tone softened. "We both know what you're going through, and we've both sworn to keep that monster from doing to your son what he did to us."

Anakin closed his eyes, anguish ripping through him. He remembered how horrible it had been when he had found Ardeth and Rick, and he could not imagine that being done to his son Luke.

Rick rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder, knowing what the man was thinking. "We won't let it happen," Rick vowed, his voice both strong and gentle at the same time.

Letting out a breath, Anakin nodded. "Come on, let's gear up."

Rick followed Anakin back to the room and took out what little weaponry he had brought. 'Ardeth, he's agreed to let us come, but I don't think he'll wait too long for us,' Rick said as he began placing guns in holsters.

'Very well. I will be there in a moment—I'll have Obi-Wan take care of Padmé and Leia. My spare weapons are under the couch, could you get those out for me?'

'Sure,' Rick said as he stooped under the couch to grab his brother's bag. After he set it with his bag filled with P38 cartridges and rounds for the new Russian rifle his son had given to him, he began to quickly load his firearms. "Ardeth's on his way," he called over to Anakin. "He should be here in a second."

"Alright." Anakin called, from his room. He came out moments later, dressed his full Jedi robes, with several extra weapons.

If the situation weren't so grave, Rick would have laughed. "You've been taking lessons from Ardeth and I," he said as he slung the assault rifle strap across his chest, the weapon laying lightly across his back.

Anakin's eyes widened at the sight of that weapon. "What exactly is that?"

"My son's newest favorite gun," Rick said. "Russian PPS Personal Assault Weapon." Rick swung it around casually on the strap around his back bringing the rifle up into a firing position to show Anakin. Then taking it off of his shoulder he handed it to the Jedi as he twirled the blade of his penknife closed and stuffed it into an ammunition shot on his bandoleer.

Anakin handled the gun carefully, obviously unfamiliar with it, but quite impressed

Slinging the ammunition pack over his other shoulder, he turned to Anakin. "So how are we going in?"

"We'll take my personal ship. It can hold several people, and it's been heavily modified. It's faster than even Solo's Millennium Falcon."

Ardeth came in just then, and accepted the weapons that Rick handed him.

Rick nodded to Ardeth as he entered the room hoping Ardeth hadn't heard the part about the ship. Anakin handed the rifle back to the American who strapped it across his chest once more.

It took Ardeth seconds to distribute the weapons under his robes, out of sight. He grabbed up the two packs of emergency supplies and handed one to Rick. "I am ready."

Anakin nodded, stony faced as he led the two Med-jai out the door and down the hall to the loading bay. "How were Padmé and Leia when you left?" Anakin asked, his voice wavering slightly.

"They were both quite upset, but Obi-Wan promised to stay with them and take care of them. Leia is using the twin bond to ground Luke as best as she can."

Mentally, he made a note to thank Obi-Wan when they got back. He nodded as he kept walking. Once the reached the platform, Anakin walked up the ramp of a ship without slowing. He had called over the link from his room to have it fueled and ready by the time he arrived. He immediately went to the cockpit to begin launch procedures. Rick looked over at his brother as they approached the ship, uncertain how his brother would react.

Ardeth sighed heavily, but got on the ship without protest. 'This will add to my dislike of flying.'

'I think Anakin's a little too focused to care about doing insane stunts,' Rick assured Ardeth, even though he doubted his assurances would do any good. They both moved to join Anakin who was working the controls with mechanical efficiency. Rick sat down in the co-pilot's seat, guessing Ardeth would probably want the seat farthest away from a view of any kind, and strapped himself in.

Ardeth sat down and strapped himself in, then closed his eyes and put himself into a deep meditation. 'Wake me when we get there or when we get in trouble, whichever comes first.'

'I will,' Rick said. Though he knew his brother well enough to know that he wouldn't need to wake Ardeth if they got into trouble. Anakin flew the ship out of the hanger and out through the atmosphere of the planet the Rebel base was on. Rick was stunned by a second from the rush as the gravity wells of the planet pulled at the ship that fought against it to break free of its grasp. Suddenly the blue of the sky rolled back to reveal nothing but starscape. Rick gasped in wonder. He had seen this in his memories from the creature that had possessed him years ago, but nothing could compare to the awe he felt to experience it himself for the first time.

At the gasp, Anakin suddenly remembered his passengers. He looked at Rick, then back at Ardeth. "Is this your first time in space?"

"Yeah," Rick answered quietly, his voice a tone of hushed wonder. "I mean I've seen it in my mind but we've never actually been out here. It's beautiful"

"Is Ardeth all right? He looks rather ill," Anakin said, setting the autopilot quickly after telling the rebellion control where he was going.

"Not sure," Rick murmured rising from his seat and going over to Ardeth's side. He probed the bond between them subtly so it wouldn't rouse Ardeth to see if he was okay. It might be just motion sickness, but he looked at his brother's paling skin, worried it might be more.

The younger man was definitely motion sick, and also suffering from a mild case of magical shock, from using so much of his powers to boost Luke and Leia's bond.

Rick closed his eyes and poured strength and healing through the bond, trying to replenish his brother's magical reserves. After a few minutes of this, he looked up to see if Ardeth was looking any better.

Ardeth was looking much better now, although still a little pale. Anakin was watching them. “Is he alright?” The Jedi asked, running a tired hand over his face.

"He'll be alright," O'Connell assured him, though the man was a little concerned for his twin. It was a rare thing for Ardeth to go into magic shock. Strengthening Luke's and Leia's twin bond must have sapped Ardeth more than it had Rick. He stood and walked back over to Anakin. "I'm going to try and mask our approach," he said sitting down and strapping himself in again. Normally he would have drawn on Ardeth's strength as well for an attempt like this, but right now with the Med-jai king's levels so low, that was not an option. He knew it would take a good deal if not all of his strength and didn't want to collapse to the floor once the spell was in place. He had never tried this out before. Before, it had never been necessary. But he took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"How exactly are you going to mask our approach?" Anakin asked, before Rick could start working the spell.

"I'm going to try and change our Force signatures. I'm not sure if it will work. I've never done this before. I'd try and erase them completely, but I don't have the strength to do that. Besides, I'm not exactly sure what effects that would have for us long-term. But hopefully this will keep the Emperor from seeing us coming, or at least not to recognize us, which might give us a slight advantage," Rick explained.

The Jedi considered that for a minute. "That will take a lot of strength. Is Ardeth going to help you?"

Rick shook his head. "He's used a great deal of his magic as it is. I cannot risk drawing on it until he's recovered some." Rick shuddered to think of the possible consequences of drawing on Ardeth now. It could lower his immune system, reduce his life force, or even... He shook his head again. He wouldn't take that risk.

"Well, can you use some of my strength?" Anakin asked, practically.

Rick looked at Anakin for a moment, wondering if he should use all his own strength so at least Skywalker would be full capacity to rescue his son. But considering this, he realized that the better strength would be in numbers. And if he couldn't do it of his own power then their efforts would come to naught. At length he nodded, and placed his hand on the Jedi's shoulder. He closed his eyes and focused all their energy shifting the elements of the midichlorien in all three men's blood, realigning them until he could no longer feel themselves even as he recognized them. The effort was draining and once he was finished, he slumped back heavily into the co-pilot's seat, almost out of breath.

"Get some rest. I'll wake both of you when we're nearly there—it's a long flight." Anakin told him, a little shaky himself.

Rick nodded. The rifle across his back was digging uncomfortably into his spine and he pulled it out, laying it across his lap, before darkness claimed him.

It was a while later when Rick woke to a hand on his shoulder. Anakin was standing next to him, offering a high-energy food bar. "Here, eat this. We'll be there in ten minutes."

Rick nodded. "Thanks," he murmured, then began eating the bar. It wasn't like Gen's cooking, but right now that wasn't a high priority on his list and he hungrily wolfed the bar down. Then he turned to see how his brother was faring.

Ardeth was already awake, and eating a bar of his own. The king looked much better than earlier, but was pointedly ignoring the view. "Well done in concealing us, Rick. I didn't know you had learned that spell."

Rick smiled wearily. "Thanks, I wasn't sure how well that one was going to work out." He looked at his brother who through his bond sensed slightly like a different person, but because of their particular twin bond, the Force disguise he had employed did not have the same masking effect towards each other as it would to those around them. "You're looking better. How do you feel?"

"A great deal better. You gave me some of your strength while I was resting, didn't you?" Ardeth asked, finishing up the energy bar and stretching carefully.

"Yeah, you'd gone into shock," Rick's eyes locked onto his brother's pointedly. "You're using more of your strength to do the heavy spells than you're taking from me again."

"I went into shock? That is very usual—even though those spells did require a great deal of energy, my reserves are usually more than enough to handle that. Maybe the spell that brought us here has a continuous draining effect until we are back in our own home and time." Ardeth said.

"That would make sense," Rick said looking down in thought. Then switching to the bond he said, 'We're going to have to watch our power-consumption. We won't be able to give these guys any help if we both go into shock.'

'Yes, you are right. If I am right and the spell is draining my reserves, then you must do your best not to cast anything—you will have to be the main one to help them. I will give you what energy I can, but it may not be very much.'

Rick eyed his brother warily. 'You're going to need to keep all your energy. I need you to help me fight. I don't want you going into shock again because you poured the last of your reserves into me,' he said slowly, his brow furrowed in concern.

Ardeth rolled his eyes. He pulled out the emergency supply pack, and dug around in it, then pulled out a flask. 'If I sense my reserves getting too low, I will take the magical booster concoction Gen made for us. It is only a temporary solution, but it should be enough to get us in and out of there.'

After a moment of considering this, Rick nodded his agreement. 'You know I'm allowed to worry about you, just like you worry about me at times,' he said with a small smile. He sat up straighter in his chair now, beginning to feel the high-energy bar Anakin had given him take effect.

"We're here." Anakin announced, working the controls. They came out in the middle of a debris field—all that was left of the Death Star.

Rick looked out at the debris as it rocked the ship. The huge Imperial fleet came into view, and Rick's eyes widened at the massive ships. He had seen them only in scale form of holoprojected images. But now getting a better idea of the scope of their bulking mass, Rick shook his head. "That's a lot of ships.... Pretty big ships."

"Yeah, this is the majority of the Imperial fleet. I'm not sure how Palpatine managed to gather them all and keep it quiet. Well, let's head in."

Meanwhile, Luke and his forces had been taken into custody. A small battalion of Imperial stormtroopers escorted the Rebel soldiers immediately to Emperor Palpatine as per their orders. Luke was at the head of the group, his head held high, wanting to be strong for his men. He glanced over at Han who was throwing the stormtroopers dirty looks. Chewie was growling in protest from where he stood at Han's elbow.

Palpatine glanced up at the prisoners. He was hideous—the Dark side had warped his once-pleasant features into a mask of corruption. "Well, what have we here? Some poor rebels, come to be judged?"

Luke rolled his eyes. We just took out the Death Star, and he calls us poor? he thought. But he stood mute, unwilling to give the Sith the satisfaction of an answer, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the Sith with contempt.

The Emperor sneered as no one answered him. "Which one of you is the commander of this pitiful group?" he demanded, and when there was no answer, he waved a hand. One of the stormtroopers clubbed Wedge to the ground with the butt of his rifle, and started kicking the young pilot.

"Stop," Luke commanded the men, not wanting to see his friend in pain. He positioned himself between the stormtrooper and Wedge. then his gaze drifted to the Emperor. "I'm the Commander."

Palpatine stared at Luke, his heavy-lidded eyes full of malice. "And are you the one responsible for the destruction of my Death Star?"

Luke stared right back at the Emperor, debating about whether he should answer or not. But he realized that with the Death Star already obliterated and himself captured, there was little more damage that acknowledging this fact could do. "Yes," he replied at length.

Standing from his throne, Palpatine hobbled down, until he was right in front of Luke. Behind him, Luke could hear Wedge getting to his feet, and the other rebellion pilots shifting uneasily. The Emperor grabbed Luke's chin in one gnarled hand and studied the young man intently. "You are trained in the Force. And you are very powerful."

Luke wrenched his chin from the Sith's repulsive touch and refused to say anything else to him. He could sense the evil aura of Sidious before when he had been safely at home, a cloak of darkness that seemed to taint the universe like a poison. But here in the man's presence the Dark side was overwhelming and threatened to choke him. But Luke stood tall, giving no sign of the apprehension he felt.

"Take this one to the cell attached to my chambers. Make certain he is secure—if he escapes, it will be your lives." Palpatine ordered two officers. They immediately grabbed Luke's arms to direct him. "Wait." Palpatine extended a hand, and Luke's lightsaber flew into the man's grasp. "You won't be needing this any time soon, boy."

As the two guards began to drag him away, Luke threw a glance over at Solo, his eyes silently conveying his request: "Take care of my men."

Han nodded, telling Luke silently to be careful. Leia was not going to be happy with either of them.

Luke was dragged away to the cell Palpatine had mentioned. Along the way, the young captive took in every conceivable detail, trying to memorize the way or any possible weaknesses in the guards assigned to him or the defenses of the area in general.

Two of the Imperial bodyguards, clad all in red, led them to a small cell attached to the Emperor's opulent personal chambers.

Luke, upon seeing the splendor of his chambers, scowled. This man had sapped the resources of thousands of worlds, weakening the welfare of every sentient in those impoverished systems, and yet his palatial dwellings offered him every luxury.

Once the two officers had Luke secured in chains on the cot in the cell, they started off, talking quietly. The young man used the Force to sharpen his hearing and listen to them.

"How long do you think until the Emperor announces he has a new apprentice?" One of them asked.

"Not long—that boy won't take long to turn, if the Emperor has his way. Too bad—he seems like a nice enough kid now."

Luke's eye widened for a second, but then narrowed in disgust. So that was why Palpatine had cordoned him off from the rest of his men. He vowed against it. He would rather die than become the Emperor's puppet.

'Luke?' Leia's voice tickled at the back of his mind, startling him. 'Are you all right?'

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to hear his sister's voice. 'I'm alright,' he assured her. 'How is the relocation coming?'

'Really fast, actually. It was almost time for a scheduled one anyway, so we probably will be out of here within an hour or two. that will leave plenty of time for the trail to go cold.'

'Good,' Luke nodded. 'Don't worry, sis. Han's okay.' At least, he will be so long as he doesn't smart off to the guards, Luke added to himself.

'Oh, good. I was concerned about him. And the rest of the group? Is everyone all right?'

'They started in on Wedge, but he'll be alright. The rest of the men should be fine.'

'I've got to go for a few minutes, Luke, and pack up both our rooms. If he starts bothering you, let me know and I'll help you,’ Leia promised.

'Thanks, Leia. I will,' he replied, fearing that he may have to take her up in that offer sooner rather than later.

'Oh! Father, Ardeth and Rick are coming after you. Dad looked kinda mad—how much you wanna bet he slices Palpatine up?'

Luke chuckled, but he was also somewhat concerned. He didn't want his Dad to get captured too, but if anyone in the galaxy could handle Sidious it would be Anakin Skywalker. 'I'm almost tempted to feel sorry for Palpatine, almost.'

'Palpatine’s evil—he’s earned whatever Dad’s gonna do to him. And Rick and Ardeth didn't look too happy either. I wonder what exactly they would do with Emperor dodo.'

Luke smiled slightly. 'Well I guess we'll find out soon enough. I'll be sure to give you a thorough description when I get back.'

'All right. I'll talk with you soon.' Leia left the connection mostly open even as she worked.

Luke drew a deep breath as he returned to the reality of the cell. He immediately began pulling at the chains testing their strength. Finding them sturdy, he quieted his mind to use the Force to try and pry the manacles open.

"None of that, now, young man." Palpatine's voice startled Luke. The Emperor smiled—a very alarming sight. "If you keep trying to use the Force, I will put an inhibitor on you."

Luke rose to his feet and moved as close to the cell door as he could. "What do you want with me?" he asked even though he knew what Palpatine was planning from what he had overheard. "Where are my men?"

"You and I have quite a bit to discuss, young man." Palpatine appeared in the doorway, just out of Luke's reach. "Your men are being well cared for, don't worry. Now, what is your name?"

Luke glared at the man for a moment, as if to consider whether he should answer his question or not, and then said, "Biggs," taking the name of his fallen comrade.

"You should know that as a Sith Master I know when you lie." Palpatine told him. "But since I need to call you something, we will keep 'Biggs' for now."

Luke knew it had been a long shot, but under no circumstances was he going to give this man his real name. From where he stood, he could see his lightsaber on Palpatine's belt. He logged that information away for future reference before focusing his attention on Sidious again.

"We have a great deal to talk about, young Biggs. Why don't you sit down?" Palpatine asked, and somehow his suggestion seemed completely reasonable.

"Actually, I don't think we have anything to discuss," Luke said calmly as he sat down on the edge of the cot. He knew this man could be manipulative and while part of him thought there would be no harm in letting the man waste his time talking, he didn't want to fall prey to the Sith's sadistic psychological games.

"But I find I am curious—who trained you, young man? Was it that old troll, Yoda? Kenobi? Or maybe, just maybe, was it Anakin Skywalker?"

The boy's face was impassive but he blinked, seeming to accidentally let a little confusion show through as if he didn't even recognize the names. He remained silent.

Palpatine's eyes narrowed. "It would be wise to cooperate with me, Biggs. You are not the only one here, and it would be so unfortunate if my guards happened to be careless with your friends."

Luke drew in a breath at this slowly. "Master Kenobi's been like a father to me," he said. This much at least was true. He hated to say even this much, but he did not want his men to suffer nor did he want to reveal who his true master was.

Considering this closely, Palpatine finally nodded. "So, how far along in your training are you? You don't have a padawan braid—have you been knighted already?"

"Why do you care?" Luke answered with a question of his own.

"I need to know how much training you've had, Biggs. There are a great many things I'm interested in learning about you."

"Well, then, your highness," he said in mock respect, "I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to disappointments."

Furious, Palpatine sent a short jolt of Force-lightning arcing through Luke. "Think about that, young Biggs, and remember that you will show me proper respect!" the man hissed, before leaving the room.

Luke grimaced in pain as the energy surged through his body, but he let no cry escape his lips. Looking up he glared at the Sith as he left. Once he had gone he leaned carefully back against the wall. Half of him was glad that this hadn't gone as bad as it could have gone, till the other half of him answered, not yet.

'Luke, what happened? Are you all right?' Leia asked, her presence soothing away the pain from the electrocution.

'Yeah, I'm fine,' he assured her. 'He just caught me off guard for a moment, that's all.' He was glad to sense her near through their bond though.

'So do you know what he wants yet?' Luke could sense that she was in his room, packing up his things while they talked.

'Yeah, though he doesn't know I know,' Luke answered, as he stretched his sore muscles. 'He wants me to be his next apprentice. Like that's gonna happen.'

"Ew, be an apprentice to him? That's horrible! Well, I'm sure Dad will get you out soon.'

'Thanks, sis,' Luke replied smiling, 'I know he will.'

'Try to get some rest and meditation in. I'm nearly done here, so once we're on our way, we can talk more.' Leia said.

'I will. Be safe.'


	21. Chapter 21

Han watched as the officers took Luke away, then moved to take the younger man's place in front of the other pilots. Palpatine wasn't paying any attention to them, now, though. "Deal with them," the emperor ordered, waving a hand vaguely in the direction of the small group of rebels.

Now Han knew he didn't like the timbre of that order. He stood resolutely in front of the men, ready for any treachery. He resisted the urge to wrest his arm away when the guards laid hands on him to usher them all away. "Where are you taking us?" he asked softly. At the moment he was a little more concerned about where the Emperor's personal guards were taking Luke, but he would look to the safety of the squadron first as he knew his friend wanted him to do.

The officer leading him sneered. "You're going to the detention block, rebel scum." The stormtroopers behind them ensured that none of the pilots attempted to escape.

Solo walked the squadron down the corridors of the ship flanked by the contingent of guards. His mind was racing, trying to think of a way they could escape. He knew the chances of a successful escape were incredibly slim. He had never been a man to put much stock in the odds, but for the moment at least, he would cooperate for the men's sakes.

The officer was annoyed when he found there was only one large cell available, but gave the order to start putting the new batch of prisoners into it. "Wait." He ordered, after a moment. "That prisoner—bring him to the main chamber and secure him there." the man said, pointing at Wedge. "He will be security in case if any of these scum get some bright ideas about escaping."

"He stays with us," Han insisted, trying to reason calmly with the man and not do something to provoke him, even though every ounce of his pride wanted to fight his way free no matter the cost. "You've already taken our commander, and we're not going anywhere without him."

The man's eyes glinted. "I know your type, smuggler. You've been looking for a way out of here the entire time. Well, I'm not going to give you that chance."

"I've seen a couple of opportunities and haven't taken them," Solo informed him. "We're not going anywhere with our commander, and I'm not going anywhere without all my men," he waved his arm cautiously so as not to seem threatening but using his swing to indicate the entire team, including Wedge Antilles.

Wedge was watching the conversation. The young pilot was obviously alarmed at the thought of being trapped alone in a guard station of stormtroopers with no reason to be gentle with him.

Solo held the eyes of the Imperial officer, waiting him out, trying to remain patient and calm. He knew how dangerous this situation would get if it were to escalate.

The officer scowled. "If you all behave and there are no problems for the next three hours, then I'll have him put in with you. Now get in that cell!"

Han was not satisfied with this arrangement. A lot could happen in three hours. He hated to push his luck, but he didn't trust the troops on this ship to leave young Antilles alone with them. "Then take me instead. If you trust me so little, you'll have me right where you can keep your eyes on me."

At a hand signal from the officer, Wedge was grabbed by two stormtroopers and dragged off, and the others cocked their blasters, aiming them at the rest of the group. "Get in that cell!"

Solo's eyes followed Wedge as the Imperial troops pulled him away. Then grudgingly, he and the other pilots squeezed into the cell. He wanted to deck the stormtroopers in frustration, but they were right: now he had to cooperate, or Antilles would pay the price. Actually, he admitted to himself furiously, he would probably pay the price either way. And either way he was helpless to do anything about it. Once the cell door closed, he ran his hand through his hair angrily, but then resumed his composure to be strong for the rest of their men.

"What do you think the emperor wanted Luke for?" one of the other pilots asked, as they arranged themselves in the small room. Most of them had to sit on the floor, but there was room for a few of them to sit on the sleep bench. Han and Chewie were the two oldest people among the surviving group of attackers, while Luke and Wedge were the two youngest.

"Not sure," Han admitted thinking back over the comments Palpatine had made before they dragged Luke away. "He mentioned something about the Force." Solo wished he had an answer, but he didn't kid himself into thinking that he knew anything about the Force or those who wielded it. "But whatever his reasons might be, we can't let the Emperor find out who Luke really is. It might put him or the Alliance in further danger."

There was a murmur of assent, and Han settled to the floor. He tried to think of any way to pass the time while they waited for their questioning or rescue, whichever came first. "Anyone got any cards on them?"

Luke was in a light level of meditation, trying to regain some of his strength and prepare for whatever lay in store for him, but still alert enough to sense if anyone came into the room. His eyes opened when he sensed Sidious return.

Palpatine settled in a chair in the room, once again trying to play the kindly grandfather. "So, young Biggs. What would you do to save your friends from questioning and death?"

Luke froze. He couldn't risk giving up any information to this man, but he knew in his heart that Palpatine didn't make vague threats. His heart began to dread which man the Sith might have in mind. As commander, he was commissioned with the responsibility of protecting his men, but they had all sworn with everything they were never to betray the Rebellion. He didn't dare speak, knowing any answer would betray him in one way or another. But fear, despite his best efforts, showed through on his face.

Palpatine smirked. "Yes, you are frustrated, and frightened. An excellent start. What would it take to make you angry, I wonder? Would it upset you to know that even now, one of your men—that young pilot who had a Rogue 5 painted on his X-wing—is entertaining my men."

Wedge! Luke hurled himself as far as he chains would let him go and barely noticed it when they jerked him roughly to a stop. "You leave him out of this! He's done nothing to you!" he demanded his eyes blazing with a fury, an instinctive fury that looked somewhat familiar to Palpatine.

Palpatine dismissed the familiarity for now, pleased to have broken through Luke's Jedi calm. "Oh, I am afraid that your young friend is far too involved in this for me to just leave him alone. After all, he rebelled against me." A slight gesture from Palpatine, and a security video feed came on, showing what was going on in the guard area of the detention center.

As Luke watched the guards beating his friend, a rage began to build in him. His training as a Jedi fought against it, but he found he couldn't quiet the rending of his heart as he watched Wedge suffer. He turned his smoldering glare upon Sidious. "What is it you want?" he grated out through a snarl.

Palpatine cackled. "Good, good. Your anger makes you nearly invincible in the Force," he said, feeding off of the aggression coming from Luke. "Use your anger—with it you can stop what they are doing to your friend! Do it, boy, now!"

Just as Luke was reaching for that dark energy swirling around him, he felt a light touch in his mind. 'Luke? What's wrong? I can feel your anger from here!' Leia's mind voice was raised, as she fought to be heard over the twisting and clashing of the dark side against Luke's Jedi-trained light side instincts.

'He's got Wedge!' he cried, lost within his swirling hatred toward this man and these guards for harming his friend. 'They're hurting him. I have to stop it. I have to save him!'

'Luke, stop it right now!' Luke suddenly found himself grabbed and dragged away from the chaos of his own mind. He and Leia were standing, facing each other, in the cockpit of their father's personal ship—they had made their safe room. Leia planted her hands on her hips and glared at her twin. "I know how much Wedge means to you, Luke, but if you go to the Dark Side because of this, he won't be your friend!"

"So I have to just stand by and do nothing? I have to watch them beat him to death?" he retorted shaking his head, more in agony than anger. He sunk to the copilot's chair, his head in his hand.

Leia's expression softened, and she knelt next to Luke, putting her arms around him and holding him tight. "No, Luke. You don't have to just do nothing—but don't use the Dark Side. You can just as easily use the Light to turn on the sprinklers, or send a droid after the stormtroopers. Please don't turn, Luke. I can't follow you if you choose that path."

Encouraged by this, Luke nodded after a moment. He wrapped his arms around his sister and kissed her cheek. 'Thanks, Leia.'

Leia hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. 'Your welcome, Luke. I'll wait here for you, if you want, and send you my strength—Mom sent me to rest in my quarters on the ship since we're moving right now.'

Luke nodded accepting her offer as he stood again. 'Thank you. I've gotta go for a while. Sidious is here with me, and I don't want him to find out about you.'

'Be careful, Luke.' Leia warned, as she settled in the pilot's seat to watch and do her best to help. 'I have your back.'

Luke smiled at that as he left the room and came back to himself. He breathed deeply to calm himself then closed his eyes to concentrate. Suddenly all the soldiers were hovering, and failing in terror at their sudden weightlessness. Then, all of the guards were flung into an open cell door which promptly slammed shut once they were all inside, the lock code scrambling at his command. He then quickly tried to use the Force to heal Wedge as much as he could.

A zap of Force-lightning broke his concentration. Palpatine was furious this time, and didn't let up for several long seconds. "What did you do, boy? Where did all your anger go?"

Luke collapsed to the floor from the pain. Once Sidious stopped and when he could regain his breath again, the boy looked up at the emperor. "It burns out too quickly. Anger isn't stronger. The Dark side is never stronger," he rasped.

"Oh, you'll see the full power of the Dark side soon enough, I promise you." Palpatine's voice was full of hate. "For now, Jedi brat, I'll leave you to think things over. If you turn, I will spare your friends. Otherwise, your weakness of your friends will not exist because your friends won't exist!"

Luke let his head fall back weakly to the floor, unable to move yet from where he lay. He tried to still his trembling but he could not, his muscles still spasming from the electrocution. That was too close, he thought to himself. 'Thank you, Leia,' he murmured softly through their bond.

'Your welcome, Luke,' Leia's voice came, along with a wave of healing energy and strength.

As Luke's muscles began to relax slightly from the Leia's efforts, his adrenaline rush now plummeting, he began to doze in and out of consciousness.

"Do you have a floor plan of this monstrosity, or are we just going to wander until we find your son?" Ardeth asked Anakin, as he glanced out the front viewport at the Star Destroyer they were rapidly approaching.

"Well, we have files with the basic schematics for a star destroyer," Anakin said, but shook his head. "However this is the Emperor's flag ship, and he's bound to have made some modifications to this particular vessel, so some things may be altered." He ran a hand through his hair as he waited for the information to download to his personal datapad. "I just pray it hasn't been altered too much. Palpatine will have the prisoners in the detention block, which should be here," he pointed to a specific level and section.

"How are we going to get there?" Rick asked. The trio didn't look in any way, shape, or form like Imperial agents of any kind.

Anakin paused. "Oh. I hadn't thought of that." He shrugged, after a moment. "We can try to grab some stormtroopers, and see if we can wedge ourselves in their armor. Or we can create a distraction, and just blaze through everything."

"Well, I'm all for blazing, but I don't think that will get us to the prisoners before Palpatine finds out," Rick commented, thoughtful. "I'd say under the radar. Stormtroopers are probably our best bet. And if that doesn't work, then we can blaze."

"All right. We're going to dock in the Emperor's personal bay, where he keeps his ships prepped for a fast getaway. With the Force, I can take out the defenses and get us into the main part of the ship."

"That sounds like a plan," Rick said nodding, then he turned to Ardeth. "Generally how long does the spell disguising our Force signatures last?"

"Usually, almost a full day. We should have more than enough time, even if it fails early." Ardeth said, forgetting that they were actually flying as he watched the forms of the enemy ships moving around.

"Good," Rick sighed in relief. At least they knew their cover would hold. As his eyes turned back to space, he shook his head at the sight of the flagship filling the viewport, blocking out the stars. "Man, that's a honking huge ship! The man has to be compensating for a severe inferiority complex!"

Anakin turned to stare at Rick incredulously, then burst out laughing. "I would love to see you say that to him, my friend."

"I might if I get the chance, and a few other things as well," Rick chuckled.

They landed and left the ship without any problems. Just as they were leaving the secure bay, though, they ran into two young officers going about their duty. One of them took one look at the three grim men, and turned to his compatriot. "Have you ever thought about leaving the Emperor and joining the rebellion? Today I find that option to be highly advisable."

"Smart choice," Rick commented his assault rifle pointed at them. "You would also find it highly advisable to make a generous donation of your uniforms"

The young man shrugged and started stripping, while his companion just stood there, gaping. At an irritable motion from Anakin, the man snapped into movement.

"Which of us is going to get into these?" Ardeth asked, surveying the uniforms with distaste. "I doubt there is any way to hide my markings or conceal that I am different."

"Then I guess that leaves us," Rick shrugged.

"If we come across a stormtrooper, you can have his uniform," Anakin said, his eyes not leaving the men in front of him. "Stormtroopers wear helmets. That will hide your face from view."

Ardeth sighed, but nodded. He was hoping to avoid having to change at all. He stood watch over their two prisoners while Anakin and Rick switched into the Imperial officer uniforms.

Once they had finished changing, Rick turned towards the two men, his rifle in hand. "In honor of you generous donation, you two gents get first class accommodations on our luxurious starliner," he said waving them back to the ship. Then he called back over his shoulder, “Did either of you bring any rope?"

"Check your emergency pack—it should be in the third pouch on the right." Ardeth called back, as he stretched his senses to try to locate the captured men.

Finding the rope where Ardeth said it would be, he quickly secured their “guests” in a storage closet. "Enjoy your stay," Rick said leaving them each with a ration of food within easy reach of their bound hands. Rick quickly cast a sound-proofing spell over the closet in case either of them had a change in heart while they were gone. Then he walked down the loading ramp to join his friends.

Ardeth was fiddling with his robes, staring at the floor, obviously considering something. Finally, he looked up. "I believe an option we should consider is having you two transport me as a prisoner to the detention block."

Anakin considered it, then nodded. "That would work very well and allow us to get to the prisoners without incident."

Rick's brow furrowed slightly at this. It was a viable option, one he couldn't just dismiss, but with their bent for plans going awry, he didn't want to place his brother in the crosshairs. He felt the two other men's eyes focusing on him. "This is very risky," he said slowly. "What if we happen to pass Palpatine and he recognizes you?"

"If that should happen, I have no doubt that he would recognize you and Anakin as well. And then we would all be in trouble. But this will be the best way to get us into the detention center." Ardeth took off his belt holding his scimitar, slid off his outer robes, and belted the scimitar around his waist before replacing his outer robes. "No one will be able to tell that I am armed."

Sighing heavily, O'Connell agreed. Anakin went back to the ship to get a pair of binders. When he came back out he placed them around Ardeth's wrists, tightly enough to appear closed but loose enough so that he could break free if necessary.

Ardeth kept his face impassive, but inwardly cringed at the feel of the constraining metal. He had been held captive too many times in his life to be comfortable with this ruse, but it was their best option. They set off through the ship.

Wedge heard how Solo was trying to negotiate his release, but the guards had their own orders and they came from Palpatine himself. The young man's heart sank into his stomach as they carted him away. He swallowed hard, trying to keep the fear from his face as he was roughly thrown to the floor at the guard station.

The guards had all been handpicked by the Emperor—they were known throughout the ranks as men to avoid. They were bullies, and enjoyed causing pain. In this posting, they could do whatever they wanted, and they took advantage of that.

"Now you belong to us, Rebel scum," one of the men towering over Wedge hissed menacingly. "And your commander is going to get a front-row seat to the show."

At the news that Luke was watching, Wedge closed his eyes tightly. He knew his friend was overprotective of him—Luke called it his older brother instinct, and never listened when Wedge protested that Luke was actually younger than he was. He silently determined to do his best to not give Luke a reason to get upset.

Suddenly rough hands grabbed him wrapping under both of his arms and pulling him into a upright position as one of the guards began to punch him in the stomach. After he had thrown a few blows, the men on either side of Wedge dropped him to the floor and viciously began kicking him and pounding him with the butts of their blaster rifles.

Rolling away from the painful abuse, the young pilot tried to defend himself. That didn't go over very well—the punch he blocked was returned by someone on his other side, and two men grabbed his arms, holding him pinned upright for their comrades.

“Oh, no, maggot. We’re not through with you yet!” one of the men said, chuckling at Antilles’ attempts. “We hate it when Rebel scum like you put up a fight. You do that, we might just start to get surly.” Though, it was clear by the expression on the man’s face that he was only delighted for any reason to maim the young man further. Wedge was pummeled by fists coming from every conceivable direction catching him in the stomach, the chest, across the face. He thrashed as much as he could, desperately trying to break free of the men’s vice-like grips, but all that produced was for one of the guards to grab his head by the hair and slam it back against the wall. Stars were dancing across his vision.

Suddenly, there were surprised yells from the men. Wedge looked up in time to see them all get dragged by some invisible force into a cell and locked up. He rolled onto his back, grinning a little around the pain. "Thanks, Luke," he whispered.

Wedge lay there for a few minutes trying to get his breath back. He could help but smile slightly as he heard the guards which had formerly been abusing him beating at the cell door trying in vain to get free. Then he rose unsteadily to his feet, his head swimming from the blows he had taken. He staggered over to the cell door holding them in, and shook his head in amusement as he realized that Luke had also scrambled the lock codes. That should buy them some time. He hurried over to the cell his squadron had been placed in, and set to work on the control panel, trying to release his friends.

He only realized that the abuse he had taken must have hurt him more than he thought when someone grabbed him from behind. He hadn't even heard anyone coming. "What is going on here?" Wedge was pulled around, and he found himself face to face with another group of Imperial soldiers.

Anakin, Ardeth and Rick had made good progress through the ship so far. They attracted a fair amount of stare; none of the Imperials had ever see Ardeth's like before which was no surprise to them. But no one had stopped or questioned them so far.

"How much further to the detention area?" Rick asked Anakin in a whisper when they were out of earshot for the moment.

"Not far." Anakin whispered back. He prodded Ardeth with his blaster rifle, grinning innocently when the king shot a glare over his shoulder.

Rick shook his head. It was something he might have done to his brother at one point in time, and he could probably get away with it. But he knew how Ardeth had been in this situation too often for it to be as amusing as Anakin meant it to be. Though Ardeth had handled it with grace and anyone who saw the glare would take it as the resentment of a captive. Soon Anakin guided them into a turbo lift. Once the doors had slid shut, Rick checked to make sure the binders hadn't locked and were still loose enough for Ardeth to break free.

"You ready?" he asked looking up at his brother.

"Quite," Ardeth smiled at Rick's protective movements, and relaxed as best as he could so that he would be ready for the action. "Are we going to try to do this quietly, so we don't set off the alarms, or just get the job done?"

Rick looked to Anakin. He would know better which course of action to take.

"Let's get the job done," Anakin said, his jaw set grimly. Once they had Luke and his men all they would need to do is get to the ship. "There will be a small contingent of soldiers standing guard, but as long as we neutralize them before they set off any alarms, we should be ok. Then we'll just 'transfer' the Rebel prisoners back to my ship." He cracked a small smile at this. He was beginning to feel a little less agitated now that they were so close to getting his son back.

Ardeth nodded. "Very well, then." He stepped back into his position in front of the other two men.

Rick swung his assault rifle around, and as the turbo lift door opened, they saw that the guard station was abandoned. Rick blinked in surprise. "Well, I guess that makes our job a little easier," he said slowly, though it was clear in his expression that he knew it couldn't possibly be that easy.

Ardeth stepped into the room, scanning for any sign of what happened. "There is blood in the corner, over there. It looks like someone was beaten."

Rick and Anakin joined him looking down at the blood. All three exchanged looks of trepidation. It was clear on Anakin's face that he feared whose blood it might be. Then a loud, angry voice caught their attention.

"I said what have you done with my men, Rebel scum? I won't ask you again!"

The three men hurried into a long hallway. At the entrance, they could hear people pounding on the door of the nearest cell, trying to get out. And just outside a cell all the way to the end of the hall, a young Rebel pilot, looking very beaten up, was pinned against the wall.

Anakin knew the young man the instant he saw him. His face darkened and he drew his lightsaber. "Let him go," he commanded, igniting his blade to emphasize his words.

Rick aimed his gun at the man holding the pilot. "I'd listen to him, if I were you. He's not in a very good mood today."

The Imperial officer paled, and let Wedge go. The young man crumpled to the floor--his body was going into shock from all the abuse he had taken.

"Now back off," Anakin said tightly as he advanced on the men. The Imperials backed away hands raised.

The leader of them scowled. "You'll never get away with this, and when you three are taken, I'm going to let my men have fun with you."

"Yeah, yeah, sure" Rick scoffed waving his weapon, gesturing the group into another of the cell before locking them in and bashing the console with his with the butt of the gun. "You know these bad guys never come up with anything new to say," he muttered to himself as he came back to where Anakin was kneeling over Wedge, concern on his face.

"Wedge," he spoke the pilot's name softly. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Wedge clumsily swiped a hand over his face, trying to stop the blood trickling from a cut over his eye. "I'll be fine, Master Skywalker," the pilot said. "They were beating me up to try to get Luke mad, I think. One of the guards said something about him watching—I guess on the security feed or something."

Anakin's face paled. He was incensed to see his son's friend beaten so. But he was startled at Antilles' words. "What do you mean ‘security feed’? Where is Luke?"

"The emperor had Luke taken away to his personal quarters. They don't know Luke's name yet. When the guards started beating me up, they said something about that whole thing being for my commander, who was watching." Wedge tried to sit up, but winced and put a hand to his side as his ribs protested.

"No, don't try moving, Wedge," Anakin told him quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place. "You just sit here for a moment." Then Anakin closed his eyes, using the Force to assess the young man's injuries. The young pilot had two broken ribs, several more cracked, a lot of bad bruises, and several cuts. He also had a mild concussion.

Anakin shook his head at the brutality this boy had been treated with. They would never be so vicious with their Imperial prisoners but he knew all too well, that they would not be shown similar mercy when Rebels were caught by the Emperor's men. He used the Force to try and heal as much as he could of Wedge's injuries and to speed the healing of the rest. His mind kept flashing with the terrifying news he had just garnered from Antilles. His son was under the Emperor's personal "care," having been singled out of all the men captured. The only hope they had was that Wedge had said they did not yet know who Luke was. But he tried to push that aside for a moment. "Wedge, where is the rest of the squadron?"

"That room. I was trying to get them out—Luke locked the first group of guards into that cell over there. I think he got mad about them beating me up."

Anakin smiled slightly at that. Of course he did. He was his father's son after all. "Ok, I'll be right back." Then he turned to Ardeth and Rick. "Stay with him please," he said softly as he rose to his feet to go and try to open the cell door and release the Rebel prisoners.

Ardeth knelt next to the young pilot, and checked to see what healing Anakin had done. There wasn't a lot that could be done for the broken ribs right now, so he pulled some bandages out of his emergency pack and strapped Wedge's ribs so that he could move.

Anakin focused the Force on the locked cell door holding Solo, Chewie, and the rest of the Rebel soldiers. The door was no obstacle and opened readily at his command. The soldiers inside all tensed, seeing the silhouette of an Imperial officer in the doorway. Having heard the commotion in the hallway when the guards had come upon Wedge, Han had lay himself flush against the wall of the cell next to the door so that he was hidden from view. He knew if he could distract the man entering the cell long enough, the men could flood into the hall and overwhelm their captors, and so they had planned accordingly. So as soon as Anakin stepped down into the cell their men were holed up in, he was jumped from the side by the young pilot.


	22. Chapter 22

With the Force and his extensive training, it took Anakin seconds to get his attacker into a lock. Then he looked down, and frowned. "Solo? What are you doing?"

Solo's eyes widened as he realized it was Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker and Leia’s father he had just attacked. "Sir?" his voice cracked slightly in his surprise and dismay. "I thought you were one of the guards," he stammered before chuckling nervously. "It's good to see you, sir." Though there was clearly sweat on his brow.

Anakin shook his head, deciding to think about this later. "Are any of you injured?" he asked, scanning the group quickly.

"No sir," he shook his head as he stood upright again. "But we need to get to Wedge. They were holding him at the guard station. I tried to convince them to let him come with us, but they insisted on keeping him as leverage."

"We've already got him—Rick and Ardeth are staying with him out in the hall. He got beaten up," Anakin warned, knowing that they would all be upset at what the Imperials had done to Wedge.

Solo bowed his head, clenching his fists in anger. The Rebel troops slowly began to follow Anakin out of the cell to see if there comrade was okay. But Anakin walked over to a console in the guard station and leaned heavily upon it. Hopelessness was beginning to gnaw at him. To have come this far and be so close . . . He ran a hand over his face as he let himself fall into the chair beside him.

Once the rest of the pilots were over trying to cheer Wedge up, Han took a deep breath and went over to Anakin. “What’s wrong, sir?” he asked, keeping an eye on the entrance to the hall. It wouldn’t do to have some stormtrooper discover all the prisoners out.

Anakin's eyes rose to meet the captain's. "Luke. I thought he would be in the detention area with you." His gaze dropped again. "But he's with him," he spat out the last word in contempt. "You know how limited our resources have been. Our spies have tried to bring us as much information about the ships of the Imperial fleet as they can. And of all the rooms on board this ship, my son is in the one we've never been able to locate. He could be anywhere on this ship, and we don't have enough time to search for him before we are discovered." Anakin's tone was even for the most part, but his face was grim.

Han nodded. He liked Luke—Leia's twin was a nice kid, and he enjoyed spending time with the boy. Hesitating, the man thought back to their own trip. "I remember the way to the throne room where we met the Emperor. I'd guess that his personal quarters are pretty near that room."

Anakin looked up at Solo for a second before rising to his feet. "Can you guide us there?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course I can," Han said, very glad to see the hope filling the older man again.

Anakin sighed in relief. "Thank you Captain Solo. I owe you one." He moved quickly over to the rest of the rebel soldiers.

Ardeth looked up as Anakin came over. "We need to get this young man somewhere safe where he can lie down. He has a great deal of healing to do."

Anakin nodded. Using the Force, he picked up the weapons that had been dropped by the guards who had been beating Wedge and began to distribute them to the pilots. "Chewie," he said, turning to the Wookie. "I need you to help our men sneak back to the ship." He handed Chewie his datapad. "This has been tracing our movements through the ship and will guide you back to the docking bay where it's held. When we come back, we're going to need to make a fast exit, so I need you to get the ship prepped and ready to go. Would you do this for us?"

The Wookie considered him for a moment, then nodded, chuffing in agreement. Bending, Chewie picked Wedge up.

Anakin turned to the three men accompanying him. "Are you guys ready?" he asked, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt. Once they had nodded, he gestured to Han. "Lead the way."

Han started out, feeling very strange leading their little parade. Both he and Ardeth were in their usual garb, but Rick and Anakin looked like Imperial officers.

Rick and Anakin kept their eyes and senses wide open ready to appear like officers transporting captives if anyone should cross their path. Just in case they did, both men kept their hands on the other two's shoulders so it would seem as if they were the one's guiding them, not the other way around.

Most of the Imperial officers and stormtroopers they passed ignored them, not wanting to attract any attention.

Anakin chafed at how slowly they were having to move, but he knew he would not be able to do anything to save Luke if they were discovered now. Hold on Luke, we're almost there, he thought silently.

Luke's eyes flew open when he felt a thought come through his bond with his father. Normally he wasn't able to get full thoughts from Anakin unless if they were very strong thoughts and the two men were physically close.

Then a door opening at the other end of the room caught his attention. He looked up, and Sidious strolled into sight. "Good, you're awake," he purred a wicked look in his eye.

Luke stood up, trying not to smile as he heard Leia muttering uncomplimentary things about Palpatine in the back of his mind.

"Oh, Biggs, I should tell you that after that little stunt you pulled, I dispatched another unit of my soldiers to finish the job with your friend." He settled into the plush chair next to Luke's cell. "No one defies me without consequences. And since you wouldn't learn your lesson, I'm afraid your friend had to learn it for you."

Drawing in a deep breath, Luke released his frustration and anger. Maybe, if Palpatine showed him what was going on again, he could find some way to deal with those guards too. It would be harder this time—the emperor would be expecting it and would try to stop it.

"Oh don't worry. By the time my guards have had their fun with him, they have been ordered to bring him up here for you to see. Of course though, I can't say for certain he'll be alive by the time they do."

Only Leia's soothing touch on his mind through the bond kept Luke from doing something drastic to Palpatine. Instead, he steadily met the Sith's eyes. "It isn't going to work this time." Luke told the man. "I'm not going to turn."

"You say that now, boy. But you have many other friends down in my prisons. Are all their lives worth your stubbornness?" Palpatine asked as he stood and began to walk towards the cell. "We did capture that smuggler that has been so much trouble to me. I think it would be most fitting to see how cocky he is if we were to release him into the vacuum of space." He looked pleasantly at Luke. "What do you think, Biggs?"

Luke actually winced at that—more from Leia's screech of outrage than the emperor's words though. After a minute, he cautiously blocked out what Leia was saying and tried to focus on Palpatine again. "I still won't turn. I'm not going to betray my family or the Jedi like that."

Palpatine's eyes narrowed. He was losing his patience with Luke's hardheadedness. "You do not comprehend the power of the Dark side. You resist it now, but you will be its servant eventually. Or your friends will suffer for your lack of vision. And you will be witness to every excruciating moment, I promise you."

"I know my friends would rather go through whatever you have planned than have me turn. I promise you, I am not going to turn!"

Palpatine sneered, enraged. "Then it appears I have been going too easy on you. Easily correctible." His hands began to glow with Force lightning from all the frustration he felt towards this insolent boy. He would not hold back this time. This young man needed a lesson in the true use of power.

Just as Palpatine was about to electrocute Luke, there was a shout from behind him. "Palpatine!" Anakin thundered, appearing in the room, lightsaber in hand. Ardeth, Rick, and Han were just behind him, dealing with the emperor's red-clad personal bodyguards.

Palpatine whirled to see Skywalker, standing there lightsaber activated and ready for battle. The Emperor's eyes went wide. He could not account for why he hadn't sensed Anakin's approach through the Force. It didn't even feel like him, even though he was standing before him. He hesitated for a second, then cast a glance back at Luke. The familiarity came back to him, ramming him like a brick wall. This was not just some other Jedi in his possession, but Skywalker's own son. But he switched gears immediately. "One step closer and your son dies!" he said reaching a hand back towards Luke, using the Force to clutch Luke's heart.

Anakin paused, frowning fiercely.

"I would not do that, Emperor Palpatine." Ardeth said, finishing his guard and stepping next to Anakin. His scimitar was twitching in his grasp—Beset remembered Palpatine and wanted to deal with him.

Palpatine's eyes widened further in recognition as his eyes moved to see Ardeth Bay standing there. "You!" the Sith breathed. And then Rick came up to stand beside his brother, drawing his lightsaber, since any other weapon would do little good against the Sith's Force powers.

Sidious was out numbered and stood no chance against Anakin and the two other incredibly strong Force-users and he knew it so he played the only bargaining chip he had at the moment—Luke's life. His hand contracted slightly tightening his grip over the boy's heart, with visible results.

Luke paled and dropped to sit on the cot, fighting the hold Palpatine had on him as best as he could, but he had never trained against this.

Using his magic, Rick cast a silent spell that picked up the chair Sidious had been sitting in before and hurled it the man's back to break his concentration.

As the chair hit Sidious' back, he lost his grip on Luke's heart. Immediately, the men moved in. Ardeth went straight to Luke, checking the boy over and healing the minor damage the Sith had done. He knew Anakin had to be the one to deal with Sidious.

Quickly recovering from the blow, Sidious drew his lightsaber from his belt barely in time to block Anakin's advance.

"Behave," Ardeth told his scimitar sternly, then put the hilt into Luke's hand. "Hold her firmly—I need both hands free to get these chains off, and Beset wants to go after that Sith."

Luke held onto the sword firmly. "Shouldn't we let her?" he commented with a weak smile.

"Not right now. It is your father's right and duty to deal with the Sith. If he is having trouble, however, you may let go." Ardeth pulled out a set of lock-picks, and started working on the chains.

Rick was over at their side in a second. He quickly cast a protection spell over Luke to keep Sidious from using him like that again. Once the protection spell was in place, he nodded to Luke and Ardeth. "If you two are good here, I'm gonna help Solo keep an eye out for Palpatine's flunkies. They've got to have noticed what we did in the prison by now, and it won't be long before they come and crash our party."

"Go, my brother. I will have Luke free shortly." Ardeth said. Already, Luke's right hand was free, and the king was working on the boy's other hand.

Rick raced away and joined Han at the entry of the Sith's quarters.

Anakin's lightsaber was a blur as it swung in, out and around gracefully in the deadly dance that he and Palpatine were locked in.

Both were masters of lightsabers, and both were determined to win. Palpatine fueled his energy with hate and anger—Anakin used all the protective love he felt for Luke.

“Do you want me to tell you how your son reacts when you use Force lightning on him?” Palpatine sneered, trying to bait Anakin or distract him enough to give him an opening. “How he writhes on the floor in agony?”

“I’d rather tell you about how much better the galaxy is going to be without you around!” Anakin spat back, not relenting at all.

Palpatine was whirling to match the precision of Anakin's blows. He had almost been thwarted by this man and pathetic devotion to the narrow-minded dogma of the Jedi, and he was not about to lose it all now. He quickened the pace of his blows, his age and apparent decrepit physical state from before belied now by the fury of his attack.

To keep up, Anakin had to reach deeper into the Force than he had in years. He was practically glowing with the light of the power of the light side as he fought, throwing strange dancing shadows around the room.

Rick had cast a glance backward and watched the match for a second, in awe and wonder.

As much as Anakin's presence seemed to radiate the light, Palpatine's presence devoured it. "This galaxy is mine, Skywalker, and no Jedi will ever take it away from me! I will enjoy your son's screams as he watches you die. And then he will be next, followed by that confounded Med-jai and his brother, who obviously haven't learned their lesson."

'I think it is time to intervene, my brother,' Ardeth said, standing and taking Beset back from Luke. A stern glance was enough to convince the boy to stay where he was, out of the combat.

Rick nodded, and spoke quickly to Han to let him know he was going back to help deal with the Emperor. Setting the rifle down on the floor in case he or Luke had need of it, he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt as he walked towards Palpatine and Anakin from one side and Ardeth from the other.

Ardeth threw a spell over his scimitar so that the blade he was most comfortable with would be useful against lightsabers. "Mind some company, Anakin?" he asked, stalking closer to the fight.

Anakin grinned in dark satisfaction, feeling Ardeth and Rick had a claim in this as much as he did. "Sure, join the party."

Palpatine paled. He knew how strong Ardeth was with the Force, and he had been only a teenager when last he saw him. The Med-jai had undoubtedly only grown in skill since then. He turned to try and make his escape knowing the odds were not in his favor and saw Rick blocking the way with his lightsaber. "Long time no see," he commented casually, disdain for Palpatine simmering in his eyes, as the three of them ringed the Sith in.

"Emperor Palpatine, you have betrayed the trust given to you. Your have failed to uphold your duties and responsibilities for the citizens of the Galaxy." Ardeth's voice was layered with power as he stepped in closer. "I, Ardeth Bey, King of the Med-jai, do declare you a traitor of the worst sort. Your crimes have earned you death. Do I have a witness of this judgment?"

"I will witness," both Anakin and Rick answered at the same time. Rick watched his gaze unrelenting as it rested on the Sith who was sneering at Ardeth.

"I care not for your judgments!" he snarled. "You have no authority here!"

"Actually, I do. I discovered in some of my people's old books that one of my ancestors traveled to this galaxy centuries ago. He was acknowledged as a king, with as much authority as the supreme chancellor. I have inherited that position."

"Well, I do not recognize your authority," the Emperor snapped, striking out at Ardeth with his lightsaber trying to catch him off guard.

Ardeth caught the blow easily with his scimitar. The blade actually leapt at Palpatine, trying to take him out.

Palpatine barely blocked the blow in time, but fueled by the growing desperation of his situation, he again tried to use Luke as leverage. But much to his dismay, the spell that Rick had enacted kept his Force powers from having any effect on the boy. The older man scowled as he cast back and forth between his attackers, his eyes falling to Anakin last.

“You think you have won boy, but you cannot defeat the power of the Dark side. You couldn’t stop me when this began, and you won’t be able to over power me now. You were too stupid to see past your own blind faith in me, too weak to stop me from torturing these two neophytes and your own son, what makes you think any of that has changed?” he spat at Skywalker.

Anakin met Palpatine’s eyes, not wavering. “I am no longer a boy, eager for you stroke my ego about how good I am. I know my own strengths and weaknesses. The past is the past—it is the future that matters!”

"You have no future!" the man growled, his face contorted in rage, as he lunged at the Jedi.

Anakin blocked the lunge and twisted around in a complicated maneuver. He had never followed through on it when training after he mastered it, but he didn't hesitate this time. His saber drove through Palpatine's heart.

The Sith's eyes widened in pain and rage that Anakin had held his own to the end. He could not sense anger emanating from him in the least and this more than anything sealed Sidious' defeat. As life fled his twisted form the black hole of the Dark side that swirled around him dissipated and collapsed altogether. The Sith fell to the floor, his evil poison to plague the galaxy no more.

Ardeth immediately knelt next to the body, and began casting the complex spells that would ensure that Palpatine was never brought back as an undead.

Suddenly, a cry from Solo drew there attention back to their precarious situation. They'd been discovered by a small group of soldiers that had come to report to the Emperor of what had happened in the detention block. Rick ran over and picked up the rifle he had discarded to help Solo hold the stormtroopers off. "Time to go!" he called over his shoulder to his twin and the two Skywalkers.


	23. Chapter 23

Ardeth finished the spell and stood, swaying slightly. "Are you able to walk?" he asked Luke, sheathing his scimitar.

Luke nodded and stood readily. Anakin moved over to stand protectively in front of his son as they began to move out. He handed Luke his lightsaber which he had called to him through the Force from Sidious' belt. While he was overjoyed that his son was with him now, they weren't out of the woods on this one yet. Rick and Han joined the group in moving out once the small unit that had happened upon them had been taken care of.

Discreetly, Ardeth pulled out the flask with his energy booster, and drank it. Then, shuddering as it took effect, he pushed ahead to the front of their group. "Han, take the rear. Rick, we'll use blunt intimidation and go straight through anyone else."

Han did as he was instructed. Rick and Ardeth led their procession down towards the docking bay where Chewie had Anakin's ship waiting for them, any resistance immediately halted with physical force or the force of their presence, a surprising number, Rick noted, to the later. 'I think maybe many on this ship find it highly advisable to defect to the Rebel Alliance,' Rick commented to Ardeth.

'It does seem that way. I think rumors are already spreading that the Emperor is dead.' Ardeth glared at one man approaching them, gun in hand. The man broke and ran.

'Hopefully their fear of us will carry through so the entire fleet doesn't end up chasing us all around the galaxy.' Rick tossed a quick grin to his brother before turning a hard glare upon another timid Imperial soldier. 'I hope Anakin has a plan on how to escape so many ships.' Though he thought glumly to himself that his brother would probably barely survive it.

In minutes, they were back at the ship. Most of the rescued pilots were in the main cabin, talking quietly. Chewie was in the copilot's seat, and had managed to start the ship up.

Anakin quickly took the pilot's seat as they got aboard, murmuring his thanks to Chewie as he began to pilot the ship out of the docking bay. He had been working on a device that just might help them escape the Imperial fleet if it worked properly. He had tested it a few times, but it had never had a successful run and he had not had time to see if his latest adjustments to the contraption he had rigged to his ship would make the difference. But right now, it was the only chance they had. As soon as they were clear of the ship he activated it.

Back on the bridge of the Imperial flagship, they saw the small rebel craft jump into hyperspace. The Admiral leaned over and barked out an order to chart a course in pursuit. He grimaced. "They are fools to think they will escape so easily." At that the entire fleet jumped into hyperspace, following Anakin's ship... or so they thought.

Rick sat confused as they hovered outside the bulking cruiser. He turned to Anakin, "Um, shouldn't we be moving? Did the engines die?"

Then to his surprise an image of Anakin's ship seemed to move out from the front of the transparisteel canopy.

Anakin laughed as the entire fleet started chasing after the hologram. "It worked, Luke! I finally got it to work!"

Luke clapped his father on the back, a huge smile on his face. "Of course it did, father! You built it!"

Rick sighed in relief. Maybe no crazy aerobatics would be required after all. He sat down to check to see how Ardeth was doing now that they were once again spaceborn. All of a sudden a pounding caught their attention. Everyone began looking around. It wasn't a large pounding and since the ship didn't shake they knew they hadn't been shot or hit. It sounded more like timid knocking. And a voice called out uncertainly, "Hello?" Suddenly Rick rolled his eyes in realization that the sound-proof spell he had cast earlier must have worn off and now they were reminded of the two newest recruits for the Rebellion.

He went and opened the door, revealing the two men, still bound, sitting in the closet in their undergarments.

"Thank you for flying Rebel Alliance Airways," Rick chimed pleasantly, tossing the men another set of rations. "Here are your refreshments. Please enjoy the rest of your flight." He smiled and closed the door behind them. He didn't want to leave them locked up in there, but he wasn't sure he trusted them enough to let them out where they could get at a weapon.

The pilots in the main room glanced up at him. "Who were they?" One of them asked, grinning.

"Very helpful men," Rick chuckled. "They gave use these," he said indicating the officers' uniforms he and Anakin were currently wearing. "I'll let 'em out when we get back to base. Until then, I don't want to risk them trying to take the ship."

Luke began to look around worriedly searching the faces of the pilots. "Where's Wedge?"

"He's in the medbay—he fell asleep once we got in him in here." One of the men said, and Luke nodded.

"I'm going to go check on him, Dad."

Anakin nodded. He understood how Luke felt and would have done the same in his position. As his son went off, Anakin rose from the chair and turned to Han. He was exhausted from all that they had gone through, and wanted to spend some time with his son now that he had him back again, even if that was just to stand at the edge of the room he was in so he could see to his friend it would be enough. "Captain Solo?"

"Yes, sir?" Han asked, looking up curiously.

"Would you take the helm and guide us back to base?" Anakin asked. He normally wouldn't trust anyone aside from possibly Luke or Obi-Wan to fly his ship, but he trusted Han who had now helped to save his son's life twice in one day.

With a smile, the man nodded. "Yes, sir." He said, and took the pilot's seat.

"Thank you, Han," Anakin said. He was tired and worn from the whole mission, but there was no formality or veiled warnings in his expression now as he smiled down at the young pilot. The man had earned his respect through his actions. Quickly, Anakin walked off towards the medbay.

Anakin found Luke sitting next to Wedge. The young pilot was asleep, and his injuries were very obvious.

Anakin watched his son looking down at his friend feeling the pain rolling off his son, who hurt for his friend. "How is he?" he asked quietly.

Luke looked up. "He'll heal up fine, I think. But he's going to have to go in a bacta tank for a while when we get to the new base."

"That's good," Anakin said nodding. "And you Luke?" he asked walking over to his son's side placing his arm around the boy's shoulder, gazing him up and down assessing his health. "Are you alright?"

Luke grimaced. "The emperor didn't really hurt me much—he only zapped me once."

"For how long?" Anakin asked hearing what his son had not said. The duration of suffering under Force lightning was what had him concerned. He had been subjected to that particular torment of the Dark side before and had hope his son would never have to experience it.

"Only a few seconds. He was still hoping to turn me. He's really gone?" Luke asked, suddenly sounding very young.

Anakin pulled his son to himself, unable to stop the tears of relief that flowed down his face. The stress of this, from the time Luke had been assigned as commander of the squads to attack the Death Star to the time the Imperial fleet had jumped chasing a ghost ship, was beginning to take its toll on the Jedi. And right now his being sank into the security of the knowledge that his son was safe and the Sith finally defeated. "Yes, my son, he's finally gone. He can never hurt you, our friends, or anyone else ever again," he promised Luke fiercely, as he held him tightly in his protective embrace.

Luke relaxed as he leaned against Anakin. "What will happen to the galaxy now?"

"We will have to rebuild," Anakin said. "It will not be easy. But the war is over. The war is finally over." He pulled back and looked at his son, a smile on his face. He realized at this moment that Luke had never known this Galaxy except under the Rebellion against the Empire. "Can you imagine it Luke. We won't have to be on the run anymore." His smile was bright and excited as he considered this.

Luke laughed. "That seems really strange. Leia's looking forward to it, though. She already has plans for her bedroom."

Anakin laughed lightly at this, years of weariness seeming to drop away from his face. "I'll bet she does. She won't have to be constantly on the move anymore. It'll be a big adjustment for you too, but I'm sure with time," he grinned broadly at Anakin, "you'll grow to like it." He clapped his son on the back. "Your piloting skills were awesome as you took out the Death Star! I am very proud of you!"

"Thanks, Dad. And thanks for saving me. It was getting kinda scary there." Luke admitted, with a grin.

Anakin smiled. "I couldn't have done it without Ardeth and Rick, and your friend Han. He led us to where you were. I am glad to have you back safe with us. And you did not turn though Sidious pressed you. You will make a great Jedi Knight and Master." He pulled his son once again into his embrace.

A few minutes later, they pulled apart when they heard Wedge stirring. The young pilot was fighting the drugs he had been given to help with the pain.

Anakin stepped back to give the friends some time together alone.

Wedge blinked awake, and stared at the ceiling of the medbay in complete confusion. After a minute, he looked around. A brilliant smile lit the man's face when he saw Luke. "Luke! You're all right!"

Luke smiled back sadly at his friend. "Yes, I am fine. You aren't looking so good though."

"Eh, I'll be fine. Thanks for your help with those guards—it was starting to get a little interesting back there." Wedge started moving carefully, trying to sit up.

Luke nodded. "Anytime. I'm just sorry that they were using you to get to me." He pushed Wedge back down not wanting his friend to push himself too hard too fast.

Wedge scowled at that. "Come on, at least let me sit up! I'm not gonna fall apart on you."

"Alright," Luke said shaking his head as he wrapped an arm under Wedge's to help him up. He was starting to act like his Dad did when he was injured or when Anakin was overly worried about the boy. "Guess my dad's habits are beginning to rub off on me." Though he watched Antilles' expressions carefully remembering all too clearly how savagely the young pilot had been beaten on the vid.

With Luke's help. Wedge was soon propped up against a mound of pillows. He sighed in relief. "Thanks, Luke. So, your dad got you out without any problems?"

He nodded, a smile brightening his face. "He defeated the Emperor!"

The young pilot's eyes widened. "It's over?"

Luke's smile brightened at his friend's reaction. "Yes, it's over." He clasped his friend's forearm gently. He was glad that the suffering Wedge had endured for his sake had not been in vain.

"So, tell me what happened—I remember your dad, Ardeth and Rick showing up in time to stop the second group of soldiers, but I don't remember much after that."

At this Luke breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that help had shown up in time for his friend, and had been worried what they would do to Wedge when the second group Palpatine had promised had found him. "Han led them to where I was being held and they fought Palpatine while Solo was watching for soldiers. Ardeth and Rick kept him from escaping when he realized he couldn't win, but he wouldn't surrender. He tried to kill Ardeth and Dad, but Dad got inside his guard and killed him before he could hurt anyone else.”

"Wow, that's great! This'll be incredible—I can't remember a time when there wasn't the empire."

"Neither can I," Luke said excitedly. "It's going to be so strange not having to relocate every time some stray ship gets too close."

"Yeah, but it'll be nice. Maybe we can go try out some of those races we always talked about." Wedge hid a yawn, grimacing as it pulled at his cuts and bruises.

Luke's smile widened at this suggestion. "I like that idea, but for now I think you should get some rest. It'll be a while before we reach home. Are you hungry or thirsty? Can I get you anything?"

"Some water would be nice," Wedge said, pressing a hand gently to the bandage over his broken ribs.

Luke nodded and went quickly to fetch the water for his friend. After handing it to Wedge he drew a chair up next to his bed.

Wedge drank slowly and carefully. When he was done, he relaxed against the pillows, his eyes drifting closed on their own.

Luke took what was left of the water from his friend’s hand and set it on a nearby stand. He let his hand hover over his friend, trying to use the Force to heal his injuries further.

Not having a complete knowledge of Force healing, Luke wasn’t able to do much. After a moment, Anakin stepped forward and put his own hand over Luke’s, and began patiently showing his son how to heal.

After a while, the pain tensed lines on Wedge's face began to disappear as his body relaxed, showing visible results of their combined efforts. Luke smiled and looked back over his shoulder. "Thank you, Dad," he said as he sank into the chair by his friend's bed. He wanted to be there with Antilles until they got home.

"You’re welcome, my son. You have great strength—I'm sure, after the Jedi Council figures out what to do with me, they will probably knight you." Anakin took a seat next to Luke, not willing to let the young man out of his sight.

"Thank you Father. Perhaps Uncle Obi-Wan can help the Council to see the light about the Code," Luke suggested. "He did about training you in the first place when he took you as his Padawan."

Anakin nodded. "I do not want to put Obi-Wan in a bad position with the Council, though. He's had to put up with a lot from them because of maintaining his relationship with me, and spending so much time with you and your sister." Anakin shrugged. "We'll see what happens."

"But you destroyed the Emperor! That's got to count for something!"

Anakin laughed. "The Council members are very set in their ways. You've met most of them. You know what they're like. Now, I think you ought to get some rest before we get to the new base. There will be no time for sleep once we give our news."

Luke nodded, as he hid a yawn. He did not know the Jedi Council as well as his father did. He settled down in his chair, his hand gently resting on Wedge's arm. "Whatever they decide, you will always be the best Jedi Master I have ever known," he murmured as he drifted off.

Shaking his head, Anakin settled down himself to get some rest. Fighting Palpatine had been the most draining fight he had ever experienced, and he was surprised he was still conscious.

Rick walked over to check on Ardeth to see how he was doing. Since the Rebel base had been moved, the flight back was undoubtedly going to be longer than the flight here had been. 'Hey buddy, How you doing?'

'A little tired. I dislike using the energy potion, but it is very effective. How are you?' Ardeth asked, relaxing in his seat.

Rick sat down, crossing his arms to try to hide their trembling. His magic levels were lower than he was used to because of all the spells he had cast since they got here, but he hated to let it show. ‘I'm okay," he said. "Could do with one of Gen's home-cooked meals and maybe a nap, but okay.’

Ardeth moved slowly, pulling his emergency pack onto his lap. He dug around in it for a moment, then tossed Rick a pouch. 'Some beef jerky. It will help get your energy levels back up, and then you can sleep. From what I've heard, it will be a while before we get back.'

Rick chuckled. 'I can never hide anything from you anymore, can I?' he asked with a grin as he began to eat the jerky.

'No, you cannot,' Ardeth agreed, taking a piece himself and beginning to eat it. 'Both Anakin and Luke did very well.'

Rick nodded. ‘They did. I can't even begin to imagine how wrong things would have gone if Palpatine had been able to get his claws into Anakin like he was trying to do. But they both did great. And now the creature is dead.’ He sighed in relief.

'Yes, and he will stay dead. I made certain of that." Ardeth's grin was feral. 'He will never trouble these people again.'

‘Thank goodness. Imhotep coming back was bad enough,’ Rick ran a hand through his hair. ‘Another bad guy bites the dust. And I feel better now.’

'Good. Now get some rest. I will keep watch over everyone while you rest.'

Rick cocked his head a little uncertain. 'You sure you're going to be up to that? We aren't on solid ground.'

'I am going to go into a light meditative trance. I will be able to sense if anything is wrong, and regain my own energy at the same time.' Ardeth told him, with a smile.

Rick nodded. 'Thanks buddy. Wake me up if anything happens.' Rick said as he leaned back against the bulkhead, interlacing his fingers behind his head.

Several hours later, Rick woke to a gentle mental prod. 'We are nearly there, my brother. Are you awake yet?'

"Five more minutes, Dad," Rick mumbled in his sleep.

'Rick, I've just been kidnapped by a giant desert worm. Are you going to save me?'

Rick jumped to his feet immediately though still half asleep, guns out and aiming at anybody that moved. His eyes were wide trying to find who dared to threaten the wellbeing of his brother, his breath coming fast.

Rolling his eyes, Ardeth stood and put a hand on Rick's shoulder, sending waves of calm through the older man. "It's all right, my brother just tends to be a little grumpy when he first wakes up." Ardeth said to the confused and alarmed pilots in the room.

Rick took a moment to register Ardeth was there at his side and completely safe. Then he glared at his brother. "Man, you gotta stop waking me up like that! Or one of these days, you'll really be in danger and I won't know it because you've cried 'wolf' too many times!"

"I do not normally wake you like that! Normally I dump you in water or water on you!" Ardeth protested, trying not to smile at the sight of his twin's sleep-mussed hair.

"Yeah, well that's just the scenario that provokes me to hasten your death," he said rolling his eyes as he holstered his guns again.

The king shrugged, and settled back into his own seat. "Do you remember what I said the first time?"

"The first time?" Rick asked in confusion, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"We are nearly there." Ardeth shook his head. "And you complain that it is a bad thing that I wake so easily."

A smile tugged at his twin's lips. "Only when I'm trying to sneak in and scare you."

"I'm going to go check on that injured man, see how he is doing. Care to join me?"

"Yeah," Rick nodded as he fell into step behind his brother. He smiled to see both Luke and Anakin at the young man's side.

Ardeth scanned Wedge, and smiled. "They healed him, almost completely. He will be sore for a while, but otherwise fine."

"Good," Rick said with a smile. Seeing the pilot in the condition they had found him in had reminded him of how Anakin had found them after their run-in with Palpatine. He was glad to hear that the young man would do alright. He looked to be around Alex's age if not a year or two younger. He noted how Luke's hand rested on Wedge's arm, his head laying on the bed next to his friend. He chuckled to think how many times he had done that when Ardeth had been injured and Ardeth when he was injured. 'A familiar scene wouldn't you say?' he asked his brother through their bond.

'Very familiar. These two are excellent friends.' Ardeth smiled at the scene. 'Let's let them sleep until we land—I am sure they are all exhausted.'

Rick nodded his agreement and headed back to the cockpit with Ardeth. He sat down in the seat behind Captain Solo. A huge planet was looming in the transparisteel viewport. “What world is that down there?” Rick asked.

"That," Han said, with immense dislike, "is the planet Hoth. A frozen iceball that no one in their right minds would ever go near."

"So it makes the perfect location for a Rebel base," Rick reasoned. He wasn't so thrilled to see it himself. When he had been in China, they had had to take a trek through the frozen range of the Himalayan Mountains, and that had not been the most pleasant experience for him. He looked over at his brother to see a look of equal dismay on his face. "Well, we'll definitely be glad to return home when this is over," he commented dryly.

Ardeth shuddered. "I do not like being cold. We will have to see how cold it is--we may need to return home early, if it is too cold."

Rick tilted his head slightly. "I don't know. I'd be all for it, but we do have that appointment with Obi-Wan and the Council."

"Well, since the Emperor is dead, I'm sure they will want to meet to discuss that right away. We'll just move their order of business."

Rick smiled, nodding in agreement.

Han cast a glance over his shoulder at the brothers. "I take it you two aren't to fond of the cold?"

"We live in the desert on our home planet." Ardeth said, pulling his robes closer around himself. "The few times I have found myself in cold weather, most of it was unpleasant."

Han nodded in understanding. "Yeah I'm not exactly looking forward to our stint on this chunk of ice either. But at least it'll be shorter now that the Emperor is dead."

Chewie bellowed a Wookie cheer to this statement.

Ardeth laughed. "Yes, the creature is dead. Now this galaxy can get on with life the way it is meant to be."

"Leia and the rest of the Rebels will be glad to hear about it too," Solo said with a broad smile. The ship began its descent into the atmosphere, shaking the ship slightly with it's turbulence.

Minutes later, they had landed in the underground bunker. All of the technicians immediately surrounded the ship, cheering.

All the pilots began to walk down the loading ramp. Luke, Anakin, Wedge made their way out of the ship behind them with Rick, Ardeth, Han and Chewie behind them. Padmé and Leia were at the front of the cheering crowd and ran forward to greet Luke and Anakin. Obi-Wan was beside them, clapping both men proudly on the back. Once Leia was certain her brother was alright she turned to Han. She had been furious when the Emperor had threatened to space him and clung to him tightly.

Han hugged her back. That little adventure had shaken him up more than he wanted to admit. Ardeth and Rick watched the scene from the shadows, more than content to let Anakin and Luke have all the credit for destroying the emperor.

Rick looked over at his brother. "Reminds me of a few of our homecomings," he said as he rubbed his arms against the chill air in the hanger. It felt like they were standing in an ice box, and that was the inside of the base. He didn't even want to guess how it felt outside. He put his arm around Ardeth's shoulders trying to help protect his brother from the cold.

"It does," Ardeth said, doing his best to stay relaxed so that he wouldn't start shivering.

"I'm so glad you're both home!" Padmé breathed hugging both Luke and Anakin to her tightly.

"I missed you, Mom," Luke whispered, hugging Padmé back.

"I missed you too," she said as she kissed her son's forehead. There were tears of relief in her eyes when she pulled back. She ran a hand through his hair, just glad that he was home and safe. "Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly looking him up and down.

"No, I'm not. Wedge is the only one that got hurt, I think." Luke said, suddenly very glad he hadn't been hurt. If he had, both Leia and Padmé would have smothered him trying to take care of him.

Anakin smiled at the thoughts he knew had to be running through his son's mind. Padmé nodded, resting her forehead against Luke's reassured that her son was alright. She turned to Anakin looking him up and down as well, who tried to ward of her questions. "We're both fine. We're both safe," he assured his wife as he hugged her to him.

"Come on, we should all get to our quarters. We can talk there." Padmé said, wanting to get out of the crowd.

The Skywalker family filed through the crowd, Obi-Wan gesturing for Rick and Ardeth to join them. He smiled sympathetically as he saw how cold the two men were. "I had extra heaters set up in your rooms since you're more used to a desert environment, so it should be a little more livable for you two," he told the Med-jai.

"Thank you, we appreciate it." Ardeth said, following Obi-Wan through the crowd.

Obi-Wan nodded, saying it was no problem. "The Council should be here before the end of the day. They were already on their way to discuss the destruction of the Death Star and its impact on the war when they sensed Sidious' death and are coming for a report. So we should be able to meet with them soon." Obi-Wan's grin was wide. "I can't wait to see the look on the faces of the members of Council when they see you are back."

"Excellent! Yes, we have much to discuss with the Council." Ardeth said, with a grin.

"We do indeed," the Jedi said. By this time they reached the Skywalker's new apartment. It was a good bit warmer inside the living quarters than it was in the corridors, but still quite chilly. Padmé began to hand the new arrivals of their party coats to help keep them warm.

"You'll probably even end up wearing these to bed. It's taken a while for the thermal generators to get it even this warm."

Accepting the coat, Ardeth immediately put it on over his robes. He was unable to hide his shivering now.

Rick slid his on as well, sitting on a couch though leaving the seat closer to the heater for his brother.

Once everyone was settled, Padmé looked between Luke and Anakin. "Tell me exactly what happened," she ordered, her tone that of the queen she once was.

Luke and Anakin exchanged the briefest of glances. Luke began to recount quickly about their capture. "Once Palpatine knew I had been the one to destroy the Death Star, he isolated me from the rest of my men. Then he showed me his men beating Wedge, trying to get me to turn to the Dark side and use it to free him."

Padmé's eyes widened. Ever since Wedge had joined the rebellion several years ago, after his parents had been killed, Luke and Wedge had been good friends. And Luke was very protective of the other young pilot. "What happened?"

"Leia talked me down till I could use the Light side again to free him," here he smiled at his sister. He carefully let out the consequences of Palpatine's anger at his disobedience.

"And Wedge? How badly hurt is he?" Padmé asked, pulling her son closer to her side.

"He's doing fine now," Luke said with a smile. "Dad helped me to learn how to heal and we took care of most of his injuries. Then Palpatine threatened to hurt more of our men if I didn't turn. He wanted to make me his new apprentice. But I wouldn't do it. That's when Dad showed up," he said turning to his father.

Anakin smiled at Padmé, holding her hand tight. "With Rick and Ardeth's help, I was able to defeat Palpatine. He's dead."


	24. Chapter 24

Padmé's eyes widened in amazement. "What?" she asked astonished. "That's wonderful news!" she gasped, throwing her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him passionately.

Luke and Leia rolled their eyes, making a face at the same time. At that, Ardeth and Rick exchanged a glance. Alex and Azizah used to delight in doing that to Rick and Evelyn.

Padmé pulled back from her husband and looked towards Rick and Ardeth. "We can't thank you enough for your help in all this," she said shaking her head in amazement. "I can't believe it," she breathed.

"It was our pleasure to help out. The creature had to be destroyed."

Obi-Wan's comlink bleeped just then, and he made a face. "I must go—the Council is arriving, and they want to speak with me."

Anakin nodded, a subtle look of resignation hidden in his eyes.

"And we'll head to our quarters, and give you sometime together," Rick said, to give them an excuse to leave at the same time. He didn't know if they should accompany Obi-Wan to this particular meeting or not or if they were going to tell Anakin about their intervention on his behalf.

Before he left, Obi-Wan clasped Anakin on the shoulder. "I will do everything in my power to make the Council see reason." The Jedi Master promised.

Anakin shook his head. "You don't have to do that. They're already upset enough with me."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We will see." He left, holding the door for Rick and Ardeth. Once the door was shut behind them, the Jedi glanced over at the two Med-jai. "Will you two be joining me in the defense of Anakin?"

Rick and Ardeth exchanged grins. "Of course, Lead the way," O'Connell said. 'I just hope they have heaters in the room we're meeting in,' he thought to his brother. 'How you doing?'

'The coat helps some. When we get back home, I am going to ask the spellsmiths to make a spell to warm someone up!'

Rick smiled as he breathed into his hands. 'I like that idea. That or a trip to the hot springs near the entrance of Kiriyah Gan."

Obi-Wan paused as he led them through the icy halls, and pointed to a door. "That is your room. By the time this meeting is done, it should be plenty warm."

"Thanks," Rick breathed, sparing a longing glance at the room as they continued on. He was tired, he knew they both were, but they needed to meet with the Council first. But afterwards he was looking for ward to a nice long nap. 'You know, I'm wondering, what are we going to do when we get to old for this?' he mused to his brother.

'Send our children. I am sure they will enjoy the challenge.' Ardeth said, wearily.

'Yeah, but I don't think we would survive their going any more than our own,' Rick retorted shaking his head.

The king sighed. 'You are right. Well, we will not have to worry about that for quite a while. As near as I can tell, we are barely a third through our expected lifespan. So unless one of us gets killed, we do not have to worry about that for a while yet.'

'Thank goodness,' he said smiling. He patted his brother's shoulder. He couldn’t imagine losing Ardeth, didn't want to imagine it. He just knew that if the King were ever to die on him, there would be a part of his soul that would go with him. He shuddered slightly and not from the cold. He quickly moved his thoughts toward the council meeting ahead. "How many of the Council survived the massacre from the day we left?" he asked Obi-Wan.

"We lost nearly half of the Council that day. The seats have been filled, but these are all Masters who are not nearly as powerful, and lack much wisdom." Obi-Wan shook his head. "Master Yoda and Master Windu are still on the Council, thankfully, and they keep the others from making totally useless decisions."

Rick shook his head. It was hard to imagine that such powerful Jedi could be gone. Even from the first day they had appeared in the Council room, Rick and Ardeth had been awed by the power they could sense in the Masters. "I'm sorry to hear that." Then he cocked his head. "So whose side is Master Windu on?" He remembered a great amount of tension between Anakin and this particular Jedi Master.

"It is impossible to say. I believe that Master Windu will most likely follow Yoda's lead. He trusts Yoda, like we all do. And Yoda has seen what I have seen in Anakin."

Rick's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, that helps."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It does help. But that means that of the twelve members of the Council, including myself, only three of us will stand for Anakin. And the Council is ruled by the majority."

"Great," Rick groaned. He looked at his brother before looking back to Obi-Wan. "We'll do whatever we can." Though he felt Ardeth would probably have more leverage with the Council. It had always been thus in meetings with the Elders. He had learned diplomacy as part of his Med-jai training, but he still felt inferior to his brother in this regards. The king had always had more grace with words than he had. 'Look if I start to say anything that hurts our case just elbow me in the ribs, and I'll shut up.'

'Do not worry, my brother. I will ensure that you do not say anything inappropriate.' Ardeth promised, grinning.

Rick threw his brother a dry glare. 'Just try not to enjoy it too much.'

Just then, they arrived at a door. Obi-Wan paused in front of it, sighing, and glanced back at Rick and Ardeth. "Shall we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rick and Ardeth exchanged a glance and nodded at the Jedi Master. Rick was torn between suppressing a grin at the Council's impending surprise and suppressing a sigh at hoping this meeting went well, as Obi-Wan opened the doors and the three of them walked into the room.

There was surprised silence as the Council saw that Obi-Wan was accompanied by two visitors. Obi-Wan gave a short bow. "Masters, Ardeth Bey and Rick O'Connell will be joining us for this meeting. They are visiting our galaxy again."

The half of the Council that recognized them had smiles on their faces. Mace Windu bowed his head to the two men. "Welcome back, Ardeth Bay and Rick O'Connell. It is good to see you well. I thought I sensed a familiar swelling in the Force a few days ago." He smiled at them before turning to business. "I imagine you have something to do with all this since Master Kenobi has brought you along to this meeting."

Ardeth and Rick both bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master Windu. It is good to be back, and under better circumstances than our last visit." Ardeth's voice was polite, but neutral. "My brother and I are indeed involved in the events that have just taken place."

"We eagerly await your report then," Mace said nodding.

'Rick, you begin with a summary of arrival.' Ardeth said through the bond. 'It will be best if they see us totally unified and of one mind.'

Rick nodded and stepped forward to address the Council. "Three days ago, my brother and I decided to return to you. Since we were recovered by our Dad eighteen of your years ago, we have found it," he paused the beginnings of a smile touching his face, "prudent to master the spell that brought us here in the first place as well as the spell to return home. We wished to see how you had fared since we left and if Palpatine was still a threat to help to stop him. Ardeth used the incantation to bring us to Anakin since he was the most familiar thing to us from our experience here. When we reached his apartment, he was going over the schematics of the Death Star. We offered Master Skywalker our help, and he allowed us to stay up looking over the plans. Ardeth and I were able to find a weakness to exploit and we showed it to Anakin the next morning."

"Anakin presented the weakness to the rebel leaders, and they came up with the plan to send a group of fighters after the Death Star. Anakin's son, Luke, was picked to be commander of the mission. Luke carried out the mission successfully, but he and his surviving team were captured by Palpatine." Ardeth picked up Rick's narrative smoothly, studying the Jedi Council members as he spoke. "Anakin, Rick and I went on a rescue mission. We were able to find the creature's spaceship with no problems, as he was so overconfident that he never left the scene of the capture. We encountered no resistance as we rescued the rest of the pilots in Luke's group, but discovered that Luke had been taken to the Emperor's personal room. Palpatine was trying to turn Luke, so that he would have a new apprentice."

At this many of the Council began to murmur amongst themselves, dark expressions of concern and worry on their faces, a look that was beginning to claim permanent residence upon many of their faces over the years. After a few minutes, the Council quieted down and Rick was able to pick up where his brother had left off.

"While we sent Chewie back to Anakin's ship with the rest of the pilots, Captain Solo was able to lead us to the Emperor's throne room, and from there we easily found Palpatine's personal room. Luke would not turn, and Palpatine was about to punish him when we entered."

Ardeth barely kept from smirking at the way the Jedi suddenly looked pleased to hear Luke would not turn. "While Rick and I freed Luke, Anakin battled the creature. Once Luke was free, Rick and I joined the fight, boxing Palpatine in so that he had nowhere to escape to. Anakin used the light side and killed the creature. I used the spells and learning of my people to ensure that the creature will never rise again."

Many smiles of relief began to grace the Council members' faces. "That is good to hear," Master Windu said, though his eyes, seemed to express that this was an understatement of the way he felt. Rick realized he didn't think he'd ever seen a look of joy like this, subdued though it was on the stern Master's face before.

"The main reason we have come before you, Jedi Council, is to find out what your intentions are towards our good friend Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker and his family." Ardeth's voice was severe now, and he stared down each of the members. His presence was far greater and more controlled than it had been when he was fourteen, and he and Rick were a great deal stronger than most of the Council members

"We have little choice in that matter," one of the newer members said. "He deliberately went against the Code, knowing the consequences. Attachment is a path to the Dark side."

"If what you say is true," Rick intoned his voice respectful but commanding as it resonated through the chamber, "then why does he still fight for the Light? Why when Palpatine threatened to torture and kill his son was he still able to use the Light to destroy the Sith instead of lashing out in anger. What you see as a weakness in him, has only given him strength and the determination to do what is right no matter the cost."

"You are the ones who dishonor the Code. In the brief time Rick and I were here as children, we saw your greatest weaknesses. And we studied the history of the Jedi. The Code you follow is not the one the Jedi Order was founded under." Ardeth looked every inch the king as he drew himself up.

"The one we were founded upon proved insufficient. We needed to adjust the Code to keep many of our number from turning to the Dark side. To love another is too great a risk." This was spoken by another of the members the two of them did not recognize.

"No," Yoda piped up as his half-lidded gaze fell on Ardeth. "With wisdom, young Ardeth speaks. Too great a risk a risk it was not. Unwilling to face it were we. Unwilling to deal with the consequences."

"My people, the Med-jai, face the darkness of what you call the Dark Side all our lives. But we triumph over it with the help of our families and loved ones. You are asking the Jedi to survive without anyone, and this is not possible."

"What you say has merit, but the connections one has to a family can also be used a leverage by enemies to get good people to do horrible things," one of the older members of the Council said, her expression considering.

"Not if you are prepared to face that," Rick said shaking his head. "Many of our enemies have tried to use Ardeth and I against each other, as Sidious did the last time we were here. The bond we have as family, the respect we have for each other, kept us strong against such attempts."

"And if you do not trust the strength of your people, there are other ways to avoid such a situation. Among my people, all of the leadership are bound by oath-word and by spell to obey the laws of service."

Obi-Wan stifled a smile at this when he thought of the bounty hunter that had captured the boys for Palpatine on Coruscant. It had taken the Jedi a day to figure out what had happened to him before they had sensed Ardeth's spell at work in him.

"This spell is only as good as what the person is bound to. That is why my warriors are not bound to obey me, in case if I ever turn traitor." Ardeth caught Obi-Wan's amusement, and winked at him.

Rick kept inside the scoff that wanted to break from him at the idea of Ardeth ever becoming a traitor. He was the best of the Med-jai, and knew the cost of treachery first hand from the time they had met. Though he was surprised at this news.

The Council considered Ardeth's words. The idea of reverting back to the old Code seemed more palatable to them with a failsafe to fall back on.

"Understand this, though. I am Ardeth Bey, king of the Med-jai, last in generations of men bound to protect our world against evil. Before I teach you this spell—one only the royal family knows—I will bind you myself to the Code to ensure that it will never fall into the wrong hands."

Rick watched to see how the Council will take this. The Jedi began to murmur quietly. At length, Master Windu looked at Ardeth. "The Council will need to adjourn shortly to consider your offer. We will reconvene in an hour."

Ardeth inclined his head gravely. "Rick and I will be in our quarters, thawing. Please feel free to stop by if you have anything you need to discuss with us."

Many in the room chuckled at Ardeth's comment.

"Very well." Master Windu said. "Again, we thank you for your help in dealing with this Sith. Both now and the first time you arrived. Your sacrifice is more appreciated than we can express."

"No thanks are necessary—we were fulfilling our duties. Come, Rick, let's go get warmed up."

Rick bowed to the Council before following his brother out and back to their rooms. Once they got inside, Rick breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that went better than I anticipated. Anakin may actually have a good chance."

"Yes, I believe they will not do anything rash now. And there's always the threat Obi-Wan plans to make—if they force Anakin to leave the order, then he will leave too. And I doubt they want to loose a master of Obi-Wan's skill and experience." Both Med-jai sighed in relief when they got into their rooms—compared to the rest of the base, the rooms were sauna-like.

Rick chuckled as he had to take off his coat. "Oh, yes," he mused as he slid down to the couch. "This is more like it!" Then he tipped his head up to look at his brother. "What do you mean our warriors aren't bound to you in case you turn traitor? I don't think you could betray the Med-jai if you tried!"

Ardeth laughed. "I know I would never turn traitor, but once, many generations ago, a king betrayed the duty. Many of the warriors were bound to obey him, but his youngest son rose to the challenge, and killed his father, breaking the binding before all the tribes could be wiped out."

Rick's face darkened. He couldn't comprehend the king of their people betraying the sacred duty. It seemed like an impossible scenario. "For a king to betray the sacred duty...." he looked at Ardeth. "I didn't think it was possible. You would think that the man would burst into flames or something from the self-contradiction. Why? Why'd he do it?"

Ardeth shook his head. "I do not know, my brother. It was hundreds of years ago, and his name was struck from our records for his treachery."

Rick thought about that for a second longer before he dismissed it, returning to wallowing in the warmth the personal quarters provided. "You know if I could stay in this room, the whole time, Hoth might actually be livable. Of course I'd go stir-crazy after a couple of hours," he threw Ardeth a sly grin.

"I am likely to kick you out after an hour or two. I know what you are like when you are forced to stay still." Ardeth shed his winter coat and outer robes, and sat next to the heater, relaxing.

"Hey come on. You don't like it any more than I do," Rick protested good-naturedly. Then he turned serious for a moment. "So how are you doing?"

"I am very tired—the transportation spell drains more every hour. I am not certain why we did not notice this during our last trip, though."

"Maybe because this time we controlled where we landed, and the draining is a result," Rick suggested. He moved over to the kitchen area and began to prepare a meal. They had the same droids that the Skywalkers had, and so it didn't take as long to prepare it this time since he knew how they work now. "It was weird seeing the creature again wasn't it?" Rick said as he brought his brother his food and some water.

"It was very strange." Ardeth accepted the food with a murmur of thanks. "He did not seem nearly as tall as I remembered, or as frightening. I suppose, after facing down Imhotep twice, there is only so much to fear."

Rick chuckled. "And everything is much bigger when you're younger," he observed as he sat down. "His appearance matched his nature this time around. Man, it's good to know this creep isn't coming back. I'll tell you I don't think I would have had the restraint Anakin showed with him."

The king laughed. "I know what you mean. It does help Anakin's case, though. He has grown up a great deal since we were here last."

"He has," Rick said nodding between bites. "And it's good to see he's not quite as impatient as he used to be. And he has taught his kids pretty well from what I can see of them."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Ardeth scowled over at the door, not wanting to leave the heat now that he was finally warm.

Rick laughed as he saw his brother's face. "I'll get it," he said putting down his plate on the table between the couches and rising to open the door.

Yoda and Mace Windu stood there. "Enter, may we?" Yoda asked, tapping his gimer stick against the frozen floor.

"Of course come on in, pull up an ice block," he said with a warm smile allowing the two Masters access to their chambers, then closing the door quickly behind them so they didn't lose too much heat.

"It's certainly nice and warm in here." Mace commented, settling into a chair opposite Ardeth.

Rick smiled as he sat down. "Yes! Isn't it wonderful?"

"Pleasant, this is." Yoda agreed, climbing onto the couch with a few groans. "Getting too old for this, I am."

Rick chuckled at this. "It is good to see you two again, and to know that you survived the massacre that day."

Mace nodded. "It was a surprise to see you two again. You've grown quite a bit—your father was able to help you heal from Palpatine's attack?"

Rick nodded. "Between him and Amir, one of the healers of our people, we healed completely. It took us probably a month before we could be out of each other's sight," Rick commented tilting his head.

Ardeth laughed at that. "Yes, that did make things rather difficult for our instructors."

Mace nodded sadly at this. “We had hoped that what he did to you would not scar your hearts. If we had seen his treachery sooner perhaps it could have been avoided.”

“Change the past, we cannot. But most grateful for your healing we are. Stronger than we anticipated, you both are,” Yoda said with a smile.

“Thank you for that.” Ardeth said, bowing his head to both Jedi. “Tell me, what do you believe the Council will decide to do with Anakin? If they decide to strip him of his rank, I will invite him and his family to come live with my people.”

"If that is the case he should feel at home in the desert environment," Mace said with a sad smile. "It could go either way. The half of the Council that remains from the last time you were here I imagine would be willing to accept your offer. They trust you. The others know of you and hold you in respect. But many of them are young and buck against being told what to do." He sighed heavily. "We will have to see."

The king nodded. "Well, this will indeed be an interesting day."

"Yes it will," Master Yoda said nodding tapping his gimmer stick lightly. "But the end of Skywalker's story, I sense this is not."

Rick looked down at his plate of food still unfinished on the table. "I made Ardeth and myself some dinner. I can make some for you too if you want."

Mace nodded. "That would be appreciated. The Rebellion is having a difficult time finding rooms for all of the Council."

Rick nodded and rose to make some food for their two guests.

Mace smiled at Ardeth. "So how have you two fared since last we saw you. You two have grown quite a bit."

"Yes, we have. Time moves differently for us than it does for you—for us, it has been 28 years. Both Rick and I married, and he has a son named Alex. My daughter, Azizah, recently married and I am a grandfather now."

Mace's eyes widened and Yoda's ears twitched slightly. "I had wondered how you two had grown so much within the past eighteen years."

Rick brought over a couple of plates of food for the two masters. "Yeah, our kids are actually around Luke and Leia's age, maybe a year or two older. And over the years we've faced off with a few more creatures here and there since we left the Temple. It's been an interesting road."

Ardeth snorted into his tea. "Yes, just a few problems here and there. Nothing major."

Rick chuckled at this.

Mace arched his eyebrow at this, a knowing smile on his face. "Sounds like you two get into a lot of mischief."

"Father was amazed that we survived to adulthood. Actually, most of the tribes were amazed." Ardeth shook his head, smiling. "I do not know how many times they attempted to lock us up in Kiriyah Gan for our own safety."

"Yeah, thought they gave up after we sneaked out a dozen times or so," Rick said, a sly grin on his face, remembering how often they would venture out without the Elders' knowledge after being confined to their room.

"Much like Anakin you are. Escape his room often he would and no end of worry give Master Obi-Wan," Yoda commented.

"We didn't teach him that, I swear," Rick said putting his hands in the air to indicate their innocence.

"Oh no, he was doing that long before you came," Mace assured him.

With a laugh, Ardeth poked Rick in the shoulder. "How could we have taught him those tricks, in any case? The Elders did not start locking us in our rooms until after we got back from our adventure here."

"Well, yeah, but they don't know that," Rick pointed out as he started collecting their empty plates.

Mace and Yoda watched their interaction, obviously amused by it. Ardeth took the plates from Rick. "Sit, you made the food, so I will clean up."

"Thanks buddy," he said as he sat back down again.

"We should probably all head back," Mace said as he rose. "It is almost time for the Council to reconvene."

Inwardly Rick groaned. He didn't want to leave the warmth just yet, but he gave no outward sign of this as he pick up his and Ardeth's coats and handed it to his brother.

With a sigh, the younger man accepted the coat and slid it on. 'I am definitely getting the warmth spell, as soon as possible!'

'No objection here,' Rick said with a smile. Reluctantly they followed the Jedi Masters back down to the makeshift Council Room.

The rest of the Council was already in place, talking quietly to each other. Once Yoda and Mace took their seats again, and the door was closed, everyone straightened.

Rick and Ardeth watched the members of the Council. In the moments that passed before someone spoke it seemed like hours went by.


	25. Chapter 25

Finally one of the newer members spoke up. "After much deliberation, we have decided to accept your proposal. Anakin Skywalker will retain his status in the Jedi Order. And the Old Code will be reinstated."

Ardeth inclined his head. "That is well, then. Come here, and I will teach you the binding spell." Ardeth took off the coat so that he would have full range of motion, and drew Beset, placing the tip of the scimitar in the ice. 'Rick, I will need as much strength as you can spare. This spell is difficult.'

Rick nodded, walking up behind his brother and placing a hand on his back, feeding him as much of his own strength as possible.

It took Ardeth several minutes to prepare the first Jedi for the spell. He patiently taught the man the ritual words to say, and the Code that he would be bound to. Then, Ardeth had the man kneel. Resting the tip of Beset at the base of the man’s throat, Ardeth began the incantation.

The Council was astounded by the rush of power that swept through the room as it pulsed within Ardeth like a living conduit. The two Med-jai noticed nothing as they focused every ounce of concentration on the spell Ardeth was invoking.

Finally, Ardeth finished the end of his long speech about the duties and consequences of betrayal. At the king's nod, the Jedi kneeling before Ardeth began his own part of the ceremony, binding himself to serve the Code forever.

Pledging himself to the Code and the ways of the Jedi, the master uttered the words that sealed the binding magic, and a charge ran through the room upon its completion.

Once the ritual was complete, Ardeth nicked the master's skin the slightest, causing one drop of blood to well. Then, he took Beset and cut a thin line in the palm of his left hand and bound the man by blood and word to fulfill his duties. Ardeth nearly collapsed as soon as the spell was done.

Rick barely caught his brother in time, drained as well from these proceedings. Obi-Wan moved to their side to see if they were alright.

"He's alright. These spells are some of the strongest we know and it takes a lot out of us to enact them," Rick assured him.

The Jedi Master that had been bound to the Old Code stood. "That was an experience," he said, shaking his head. "I don't feel any different."

Rick chuckled lightly, knowing that now, if the man betrayed the Code and the Jedi, that would change radically. "You won't," he shook his head. He carefully picked his brother up, not easily done since the magic had drained him as well. "I'm going to take my brother to rest. It will be sometime before he has the strength to cast this spell again."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Obi-Wan asked, coming forward to help Rick with Ardeth.

"Thanks, I just need to get him back to the room and give him some time to rest," he said accepting his help with Ardeth. "Once he's rested his energy levels will have recovered a bit." Rick stood with one of Ardeth's arms draped across his shoulder while Obi-Wan pulled the other across his own.

They left the Council Room, carefully moving through the empty halls. "How is it that he was able to cast that spell on the bounty hunter who kidnapped the two of you all those years ago?"

"That spell was a lesser version of this one," Rick commented a smile drifting over his face at the memory of Ardeth later recounting this tale to him came back to him, "Since their was no blood involved it would not a permanent thing, though it would last probably most of his life. And between that and the protection spell he placed on me, his reserves were drained severely enough to where he could no longer cast things for a time."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That makes sense. That bounty hunter is now a member of the rebellion—apparently whatever Ardeth bound him to is not the laws of the Galactic Empire."

Rick nodded. "He bound him to the ideals of the old Code, because we both knew Palpatine could not be trusted." Once they reached Rick's and Ardeth's rooms again, the warmth radiating from them was a welcome sensation. Rick and Obi-Wan carefully laid Ardeth down on the couch while Rick went to get something for him to eat and drink when he awoke. He also brought over the emergency kit, worried that Ardeth might go into shock again. He sat heavily next to the couch, exhausted but still keeping watch over his brother.

"Is there anything I can get for either of you?" Obi-Wan asked, getting a glass of water and putting it in Rick's hand.

"Thanks," Rick said as he shut his eyes heavily, sipping the water slowly. "Not really, we just need rest and Ardeth will need to eat once he wakes up. Having come here, on purpose anyways," he said with a slight grin, "is taxing Ardeth's strength more than usual. I guess the control of such a powerful spell calls for more magic than the accidental use that brought us here last time."

"That is logical. Well, if you need anything, here is my comm number. I am going to go visit Anakin, and inform him of the Council's decision."

"Thank you," Rick said smiling as Obi-Wan rose. "Give Anakin our congratulations. I'd come and tell him myself but I want to make sure Ardeth's doing okay," he looked down at his brother, knowing had Ardeth been conscious at the moment he would probably roll his eyes, shoo Rick away and tell him not to fuss over him, which of course he wouldn't listen to in any case.

Obi-Wan nodded, and smiled at Rick. "I will. Get some rest yourself, my friend."

"Thanks, I will," Rick assured him, though conveniently leaving out the part that he meant to do so after his brother awoke again, just in case something went wrong. Rick sat on the floor next to his brother, his hand lightly laying on the younger man's chest, so he would know immediately if something was wrong on the off-hand chance that he should accidentally fall asleep, which was entirely possible at the moment.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before Ardeth stirred weakly, rousing Rick from his light doze. Ardeth blinked at the ceiling, obviously confused about where they were.

"Hey, buddy," Rick said once he saw that Ardeth was alright. "We're back in our rooms. Binding the Jedi to the Old Code took a lot out of you especially with the drain the transportation spell puts on you." He sat up a little more, handing Ardeth some water and the food he had made for him.

'How long was I out?' Ardeth asked, using the bond since he didn't trust his voice to cooperate just yet.

'Not long,' Rick assured him also switching to the bond. 'A little less than half an hour. How are you feeling?'

'Very weak and exhausted—like I tried to do a spell that I should not have.' Ardeth sat up a little to try to eat.

Rick's brow furrowed slightly at this. He helped Ardeth to sit up and then to eat and drink as much as his brother could take. 'So are we going to have to repeat this process for all eleven of the other Council members or did the spell you cast apply to all of them?'

'No, they must be done individually. I will do Yoda next, and he should learn the spell well enough that he will be able to do it on the others.'

Rick nodded. 'Cause we can't keep this up if we want to make the journey back,' he murmured. He handed Ardeth the provisions from his emergency pack to help him boost his levels. 'I don't want us to use too many more of these if possible, because the more we use the harder our systems will crash once they wear off,' he said slowly feeding as much strength as he had into his brother.

'I know. I remember that quite well from that one adventure we had a few years ago. Rick, stop. If you give me more strength, your levels will be too low and you will go into shock yourself.'

Rick shook his head. 'If you're gonna have to perform this spell even once more, you're gonna need all the strength you can get.'

Ardeth gave him a half-hearted glare. 'Have you at least eaten?'

Rick didn't meet his brother's gaze as he thought about it. He had forgotten in his concern for his twin.

Rolling his eyes, Ardeth pulled the emergency pack into his lap and dug out some energy bars, and handed them to his twin.

Rick took them again without meeting Ardeth's eyes, murmuring his thanks, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. He knew it would be a while before his brother let him live this one down.

'My brother, if you insist on acting the older brother and taking care of me, at least remember to take care of yourself first. It is nearly impossible to take care of someone when you yourself are unconscious.'

'Yeah, but what's the fun in worrying over your own health?' he protested innocently as he began eating the energy bars. 'I have enough to worry about taking care of yours.'

Moving slowly, Ardeth sat up all the way, and relaxed against the back of the couch. 'It is warm in here.' He said, surprised.

Rick moved over to the other couch now that Ardeth was awake and was feeling better. 'Yes it is,' he said as he finished the bars. 'Maybe if we turned the heaters up full blast we could thaw the planet,' Rick joked, though the idea seemed more than palatable to him at the moment.

The king laughed. 'I doubt that. Although, it might be worth a try. How are you feeling?'

'Pretty tired.' Rick shook his head at the tingling sensation in his fingers as he felt the energy bars were beginning to take effect. He was in fact exhausted, both from the spell they had performed and bringing Ardeth back to the room even with Obi-Wan's assistance. But even this admission spoke of how tired he was. Usually he would heavily deny it, but he doubted very much he could stand right now without his body shaking, and Ardeth could see this.

Ardeth shook his head. 'We are both going to have to either rest here or find a safe place to hole up at home before we let anyone see us.'

'Well, we're at least going to have to rest for a while here so I'll have enough strength for the spell to go back home,' Rick said tilting his head. Then a mischievous grin broke across his face. 'But at least this time we can honestly say we didn't get injured!'

At that, the king laughed. 'Yes, that is true—neither of us is injured at all—just exhausted.'

'This is a major accomplishment for us,' Rick said triumphantly even as his eyes closed. 'We live to tell the tale, and we don't even have to be coaxed back from death's door for a change.'

'Yes, this is very true.' Ardeth started looking through the emergency pack. 'Well, the supplies in here are getting a little low.'

Rick opened his eyes partly. 'Maybe we could ask the Jedi if they could restock us until we get back home. I'm sure they must have equivalents of our supplies.'

'That would probably be wise.' Ardeth closed up the pack and put it away.

'Are you starting to feel any better?' Rick asked, hoping that the food and water would help to replenish him some.

'Yes, I am. Between the food and the booster, I will be able to do the next spell within the hour. Then, we will need to make certain that Yoda is able to do the spell. And then we can go home."

'Good,' Rick said nodding. 'I wonder how Anakin will react to hearing the Jedi are going to keep him in the Order,' he said with a smile as he rested his eyes again.

'I am certain that he will be thrilled. Aside from his family, the Jedi are his life. Rest, my brother. I will wake you before it is time to go finish our task.'

Rick nodded, the movement nearly imperceptible because of how tired he was. It didn't take long before he drifted away, lost in dreams.

Ardeth let Rick sleep for nearly two hours before he decided that his twin's magic reserves were strong enough for them to do the binding spell again.

Rick sat up slowly. He was feeling a good deal stronger by now and looked at his brother to see how he was faring. 'How are you feeling?'

'Much better. I am nowhere near full strength, but I will be able to do the spell without pulling so heavily on you this time.' Ardeth tossed Rick a canteen and another energy bar.

Rick nodded slowly as he took the water and food his brother had handed him. 'Good. Now that he's been officially accepted by the Jedi, I wonder if Anakin will retain his seat on the Council,' he said as he stood stretching slightly.

Ardeth stood also, straightening his robes. 'It would be very disappointing if they did not give him his Council seat back. He has more than earned it.'

Rick agreed as he grabbed up their coats again. He groaned slightly. 'Can't we just take the heaters with us?' he asked.

'We could try.' Ardeth said, eying the massive heater unit.

Rick's eyebrows rose slightly. 'I was just joking. As tempting as the idea is, I think we need to save our strength,' he said as he handed Ardeth his coat.

Sliding the coat on, Ardeth smiled. 'It would certainly be amusing to see the faces of anyone we passed as we carried it around.'

Rick chuckled, trying to picture it as they headed out the door. It didn't take them long to reach the Council chamber again.

The Council was quietly talking. They looked up when the Med-jai came in. “Better, you are feeling?" Yoda asked, looking between the two of them.

"Yes, much, thank you," Rick answered. "Enacting this spell exerts a great deal of our magic levels as you've seen. We will use this spell one more time to bind Master Yoda to the Old Code, who will in turn bind the rest of you."

Yoda hobbled forward—he was the right height that he didn't have to kneel. Ardeth took his stance, drawing Beset again.

Rick again took up his position feeding his magic into his brother.

The binding ceremony went much faster this time, because Yoda already knew the ritual words. His ears flickered as he memorized Ardeth's portion of the ceremony.

Yoda spoke his part once Ardeth was through.

Ardeth finished the ceremony with a flourish, and this time managed to keep from collapsing at the end.

Rick put his arm up to steady his brother anyway, feeding him some more of his strength.

Yoda nodded his head to the Med-jai king. "Thank you, we do. Most grateful for your help, we are. Use what you have taught us, to bind the others, I will."

"We will stay and watch you do one binding, to ensure that you have no problems. But we must return to our own homes fairly soon." Ardeth said, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

Yoda smiled and nodded his understanding, He performed the spell next on Mace Windu. It was taking all of Rick's self-control not to burst out laughing at the sight of this towering man kneeling before and still looming over the diminutive Jedi Master.

Ardeth nudged Rick sharply when a snicker escaped the older man. Yoda used his gimer stick to get the required blood—apparently he kept the tip sharpened.

The nudge only made the struggle not to laugh harder, but he managed to rein his laughter in. Within a few minutes the binding was done.

Ardeth nodded to the Council. "As king of the Med-jai, I wish you well in your fulfillment of your duties. If ever you have need of assistance from myself or my people, I will teach Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker how to contact me."

The Council nodded in parting. "Go then," Mace said, warmly. "The Jedi wish you both a safe journey home. May the Force be with you in your battles."

Ardeth bowed formally to the Council, then left. 'Come, let's thaw in our quarters, gather our stuff, then go say goodbye to Anakin."

Rick nodded and followed Ardeth back to their rooms.

'That went well. It is nice to know that now that they are going to be bound to a code of conduct. That way they will never be in danger of turning, like they so fear.'

'Yeah, and that they won't be dragging themselves down anymore by cutting all ties to loved ones.' Rick shook his head. 'I don't know how they've manage to go this long without the support a family brings.'

'I'm sure they lost a great many people because of that restriction.' Ardeth picked up his emergency pack and made certain he had everything he had come with.

Rick gathered up his weapons quickly. It didn't take too much for them to pack since they had only just gotten to this base. Rick looked over at Ardeth. 'Have you got everything?'

'I believe so. You?' Ardeth asked, taking out an energy bar and eating it quickly.

'Yeah,' Rick answered as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.

'Then let us go visit the Skywalkers, and return these coats.'

Rick nodded as he and Ardeth headed out the door.

A few minutes later, they were seated in the Skywalker's living room. Anakin was bubbling over with excitement—Obi-Wan was there, watching Anakin, smiling.

"So I take it you got the good news?" Rick said with a smile.

"Yes, I did. The Council is accepting me as a Jedi Master, putting me back on the Council, taking Luke and Leia as knights, and they're going back to the Old Code!"

"That's excellent," Rick said shaking Skywalker's hand. "Congratulations."

Anakin grinned at them. "I know you two helped out a lot with convincing the Council—thanks so much for your help."

Rick and Ardeth exchanged a glance. “We were glad to help out,” O’Connell said. “No one should have to fight the darkness alone.”

"So, Ardeth I did finally get to take you flying." Anakin said, with a grin.

Rick shook his head and turned to Luke. "You should feel honored," he told the young man. "Ardeth does not relinquish firm ground for just anyone." Here he threw a sly glance at his twin.

Ardeth rolled his eyes. "I cannot understand why anyone would wish to leave the ground! It is so much safer! If we were meant to fly, we would have wings."

"Hey come on, this time was nearly as bad as it usually is," Rick said. "This time we didn't have any crash landings, no insane stunts, and no animated walls of sand or water trying to kill us."

"Now that was definitely a bonus. I don't believe that has happened very many times." Ardeth shook his head and smiled at the Skywalkers’ confusion. "You don't want to know."

"Heh, the twice was enough," Rick groaned. "At least now we don't have to worry about an encore performance from this creature. So, what are you all going to do now that Palpatine's been destroyed?"

Anakin looked around at his family. "Well, Luke and Leia are going to be accepted into the Jedi order, so they're going to be busy. I believe that the rebellion leaders are going to ask Padmé to be part of the new government."

"That's great," Rick said looking between the different members of the Skywalker family. "Everything's finally moving forward for you guys. No more Sith to fear."

"Yeah, it's really great," Luke said, grinning. "So, are you two staying for a while?"

Rick shook his head, with a sad expression. "I wish we could but I'm afraid not. The power that brought us here continuously pulls on our magic. Our levels are bottoming out a little too quickly. We need to head back."

"I don't remember that from last time you were here." Anakin said, looking between the two men.

"We think it's because we actually came here on purpose and that a controlled landing has an on-going draining effect," Rick explained, though that was still a guess on his part.

"All right. Will we see you again?" Anakin asked.

"I think that's a definite possibility," Rick said with a smile. "In fact, we can teach you the spell that brought us here in case you ever want to come and visit our world." He turned to Luke and Leia. "Maybe you two can hang out with our kids sometime. Especially now that things are starting to quiet down around here."

Luke and Leia exchanged a glance and turned identical pleading looks on Anakin. The Jedi rolled his eyes. "We will see."

Rick nearly burst out laughing. 'They're almost as good as Alex at this!' he commented to his brother.

'They are.' Ardeth shook his head. He taught Anakin the spell. "Be certain that you are well rested, before you try this spell—it does take a lot of energy."

Anakin nodded his head, before embracing Ardeth and Rick in turn. "Thank you, for everything. I'm going to miss you guys."

"I am glad that you and your family are doing so well, my friend." Ardeth hugged Anakin back. "May the Force be with you and your family."

"And with you and yours," Anakin replied.

Rick and Ardeth said their farewells everyone in turn. Obi-Wan shook their hands briefly before embracing them. "We are in your debt. Anytime you have need, remember us. We will come to your aide."

"And if you ever need help, call to the Med-jai and we will hear you." Ardeth promised, and stepped back, putting a hand on Rick's shoulder. 'Are you ready, my brother?'

"Yeah, let's go home," he said to Ardeth. Placing his hand on his brother's shoulder, he closed his eyes and began the spell to take them home.

The Skywalker's apartment faded from view, and they appeared in Ardeth's study, where they had left just a few days ago.

Rick released his breath slowly as he became slightly dizzy. But he smiled at his brother. ‘Home again, home again. And in the nice warm desert.’

'Warmth is excellent. Well, let's settle down and see how long we can hide until someone realizes we're back.'

Rick nodded in full agreement, looking around. 'So, where should we hide?'

'I vote for the secret room behind my bedroom.' Ardeth grabbed a spare emergency pack from behind his desk.

Rick froze as he heard Evie's voice emanating from the hallway headed in this direction. 'Please tell me there's a secret passage from here leading to that room,' he asked, grimacing slightly as he turned to his brother.

'This way.' Ardeth led the way over to his bookshelf, and opened a secret door. 'Make certain to close it tight behind you.'

Rick followed in quickly behind his brother pulling it shut just as the door to Ardeth's study opened.

"I know there was a reference to it in here somewhere," Rick heard Evy say as she walked up to the King's book shelf pulling out a volume he had lent her often. Flipping through the pages, she gasped. Rick cringed. But apparently her gasp was one of success not surprise. "Here it is!" she cried in triumph as she turned and left the room, book in hand.

Rick sighed in relief, shaking his head. 'That was close.'

'Come on, this way to the secret room. Azizah knows about it, so if she suspects we are back, she or Gen will come to search it.'

Rick nodded and followed Ardeth down the darkened passageway to the room he had mentioned.

Minutes later, they were in the safe room. Ardeth settled on one of the cots, and dug out some energy bars from the new pack, tossing one to Rick.

He ate it hungrily, collapsing into a cot himself. 'Okay, I'm ready for a nap,' he murmured.

'Go ahead and sleep. Later tonight, if our energy levels are moderately recovered, then we will emerge and let everyone know we are back.' Ardeth stripped off his weapons and gear, piling it neatly next to his cot.

'Yeah,' Rick smiled tiredly, a glint in his eyes. 'Once our magic levels are up and we can defend ourselves from harsh interrogation.' He unslung the rifle so that it wouldn't dig into his back as he slept. Once he had set his weapons aside he let his body lean back fully and relax. 'Sleep well, buddy,'

'You too, my brother.' The king closed his eyes, and was asleep almost immediately.

They slept for most of the day, both men drained from how much of their magic they had used over the trip. Gen happened upon them as they slept, not making a sound as he entered the room. He saw the two men sleeping soundly, and smiled. "Welcome home, my King," he whispered quietly before slipping out of the room.

Just before sunset, Ardeth woke up, and sat up, yawning. His levels were recovering much better now that he didn't have a continuous drain on him. 'Rick, wake up.'

Rick's eyes opened as he stretched slowly. 'Are we there yet?' he asked sleepily, still pulling out of one of his dreams.

'We are home, Rick. It's time to go greet our families.' Ardeth told him, gathering up his gear once again.

Rick sat up blinking, nodding slowly as he processed this information. He grabbed his things, heading out the door with Ardeth.

They found Evie and Azizah and her family in the royal family’s personal dining room. ‘Are you ready for this, my brother?’ Ardeth asked, as they paused just outside the door.

Rick rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. ‘About as ready as I’ll ever be. Though I may have to use your heirs as shields.’

Ardeth pushed the door open, and everyone in the room turned to see who was entering. Evelyn immediately latched onto Rick, scolding and questioning him in the same breath. Azizah just put one of the babies in Ardeth's arms and gave him a hug.

Rick tried in vain to assuage his wife’s concerns. He threw a glance back over his shoulder at his brother, a plea for help in his eyes.

Trying not to laugh at his brother’s plight, Ardeth settled at his seat at the table. “Come sit, Rick, Evelyn. Azizah, Evelyn, have we ever told you the tale of our first experience with the transportation spell?” Ardeth’s voice wove the story, successfully distracting everyone in the room as he recounted their past experiences and told of the adventure they had just had. Darkness fell around the city, but did not touch them.

~End~


End file.
